Mark Latham Defends Social Media Posts in Final Day of Tribunal Hearing with Alex Greenwich

Independent MP Mark Latham has defended his recent social media activity in a vilification and sexual harassment case brought by Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, telling a tribunal that disagreements between parliamentarians are common.

Mr Greenwich is suing the former federal Labor leader in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), alleging that four public statements by Mr Latham breached the state's Anti-Discrimination Act.

One of those statements - a tweet posted in March 2023 containing explicit references to sexual activity - has already been found defamatory by the Federal Court, which awarded Mr Greenwich $140,000 in damages.

That tweet followed comments by Mr Greenwich, who had described Mr Latham as "a disgusting human being" when asked about violence towards LGBT protesters outside a church where Mr Latham had been due to speak.

On Wednesday, during the final day of hearings, Mr Latham was cross-examined by barrister Prue Bindon for Mr Greenwich. The questioning focused on his employment status at the time of the tweet, with Mr Latham confirming he had resigned from his role in early March 2023 while campaigning as a One Nation candidate.

Ms Bindon presented One Nation documents showing a $2,500 payment to Mr Latham, which he said was a reimbursement for expenses.

Mr Greenwich's legal team also raised concerns over Mr Latham's recent posts on X (formerly Twitter), arguing that any further references to the original tweet or similar language could increase harm to their client.

Mr Latham's lawyer, Zali Burrows, criticised the "endless affidavits" being filed, calling the process "a never-ending story." Tribunal senior member Mandy Tibbey urged both sides to consider an "undertaking" to end hostilities before a ruling is made.

In one recent post, Mr Latham described the case as involving an "absurd proposition" that Mr Greenwich should "never be publicly criticised." Speaking in the hearing, he said his online activity was in response to "two-and-a-half years of misrepresentations" about him, adding, "Clearly members of parliament have disagreements all the time."

Emotional Toll Described
Earlier, Mr Greenwich's husband, Victor Hoeld, told the tribunal the public feud had been "very distressing" and had significantly affected both their lives.

"It's very distressing to watch Alex struggle or be talked about ... it's been going on for two years," he said. "I try and avoid triggering events and interviews because of the effect it's had on me and Alex ... it's basically changed everything."

Outside court, Mr Greenwich said he was "really relieved the hearing process is now over." Both parties will now lodge written submissions with the tribunal in late October.