Twist in Latham’s violence order battle with ex-partner
Maverick MP Mark Latham and his former partner have defied hopes of a settlement and will instead go head-to-head in court over claims he subjected her to ongoing harassment.
Nathalie May Matthews, 38, applied for a special remand violence order to protect her from the one-time federal Labor opposition leader after accusing him of years of manipulation and constant harassment.
The allegations are vehemently denied by Mr Latham, who now sits as an independent in the NSW upper house, and he has not been charged with any offence.
After months of negotiations, Ms Matthews’ lawyer suggested in October that the dispute was likely to be resolved.
But the deal did not go through as hoped, Daniel Wakim told Sydney Downing Center Local Court on Tuesday.
“Negotiations were held on foot. Unfortunately, they could not resolve the issue,” he said.
Mr Latham and Ms Matthews will face off at a three-day hearing in May to determine whether the AVO should be granted.
The court was told that all documents had been submitted for the trial to continue.
It comes after Mr Latham claimed on social media that the AVO application against him had been withdrawn.
“I was supposed to be in Sydney Local Court tomorrow for the final installment of the private AVO application against me,” he wrote on October 28.
“But now it has been delisted and the application has been withdrawn… That’s the end of it.”
The firebrand politician has been an independent MP since 2023 after a falling out with One National chairman Pauline Hanson led to her stepping down as state leader of the party.
He helped return the right-wing party to state politics in 2019, 15 years after its failed attempt to lead Labor to federal election victory.
The MP has been involved in several recent scandals, including photographing female colleagues without their knowledge, for which he has apologized.
Calls for his official portrait to be removed from Labour’s federal party room have resulted in the addition of a sign declaring he has been banned from the party for life.
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