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‘Enough is enough’: Alex Greenwich threatens legal action over Mark Latham’s homophobic tweet
The independent NSW MP Alex Greenwich has publicly threatened One Nation leader Mark Latham with a defamation lawsuit if he doesn’t apologise for a homophobic tweet directed at Greenwich.
In a statement released this morning, Greenwich said he had already filed a complaint of homosexual vilification against Latham with the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, and made a police complaint against the One Nation leader.
Greenwich, who called the tweet a “a defamatory and homophobic attack on the member for Sydney” also demanded Latham apologise or face defamation proceedings.
Enough is enough. I’ve been openly gay in public life for 15 years and in NSW parliament for over 10 years, and never have I experienced such a homophobic, sexualised attack that exposed me to contempt, ridicule and extreme abuse, based on my sexuality.
In a separate statement, NSW police said they have also launched an investigation into the matter:
Officers attached to Surry Hills Police Area Command have commenced an investigation after receiving reports of online harassment directed at a 42-year-old man.
Inquiries are continuing.
The tweet, which has been deleted, came in the aftermath of the NSW election in March, and was widely condemned both in NSW and in Canberra. The tweet has been deleted.
Key events
Man dies after falling overboard Spirit of Tasmania cruise
In another drowning incident, a man has died after falling overboard from the Spirit of Tasmania on Sunday night.
Police say the ship left its dock at Geelong at around 8pm last night, and was an hour into its journey to Devonport when the passenger went over.
The ship was turned around as emergency crews searched for the man, before locating his body in the water.
Police say the man’s death is not being treated as suspicious.
SA premier says federal pledge of $2.2bn for Medicare does not ‘do enough’
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has called on the federal government to improve its investment in healthcare, saying their promises do not go far enough.
Speaking to ABC’s RN Breakfast this morning, Malinauskas said the $2.2bn healthcare package endorsed by national cabinet doesn’t “do enough”.
The Albanese government is acknowledging that there is a problem that needs to be fixed and that’s a pretty important start and we are seeing an increase in resources coming from the federal government – that $2.2bn you mentioned. Of course, there was the Strengthening Medicare taskforce as well.
These are all important works, but it would be naive to suggest that this alone will address what is a genuine crisis when it comes to primary health care, and access to GPs right around the nation.
People are getting sicker because they’re not getting access to primary health care earlier.
Infrastructure minister says Coalition left behind a ‘mess’ of underfunded projects
The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, has said that many of the projects to be reviewed under the 90-day probe into the nation’s infrastructure pipeline are “completely underfunded”.
Speaking to the ABC this morning, King said that what was left behind by the Coalition government was a “mess” and that there’s billions of dollars that need to be found to be able to get many of the projects off the ground.
That’s new money that we would have to find. We’re simply not in a position to be able to say today if can we deliver each and every one of those projects and have we got enough money to do so.
The scale of this has really come to light as we’ve started to investigate going forward for the next budget.
I’ve concluded the only way to deal with the mess, frankly, of what’s been left with this infrastructure pipeline is to do a short sharp review.
We’ll work very closely – as was agreed at national cabinet – with states and territories, to make sure we’ve got projects here in the pipeline that are able to be delivered, are properly costed and the cost overruns are understood.
Man drowns in Victoria with another missing
A man has drowned and another is missing in Victoria after going for a swim at Gellibrand Lower, 37km west of Lorne yesterday afternoon.
Police were called to the scene after two men were reported missing after they went for a swim.
The body of one man was found on nearby rocks a short time later, but police are still searching for the other man.
It comes after a mum drowned in Queensland at popular surfing spot Froggies Beach on Sunday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the beach at about 3.15pm after reports three people were swept up in the rough surf.
One child was reportedly pulled to safety by a stranger, while lifesavers were able to pull the mother and another person out to shore. Despite resuscitation efforts, the mother died at the scene.
‘Enough is enough’: Alex Greenwich threatens legal action over Mark Latham’s homophobic tweet
The independent NSW MP Alex Greenwich has publicly threatened One Nation leader Mark Latham with a defamation lawsuit if he doesn’t apologise for a homophobic tweet directed at Greenwich.
In a statement released this morning, Greenwich said he had already filed a complaint of homosexual vilification against Latham with the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, and made a police complaint against the One Nation leader.
Greenwich, who called the tweet a “a defamatory and homophobic attack on the member for Sydney” also demanded Latham apologise or face defamation proceedings.
Enough is enough. I’ve been openly gay in public life for 15 years and in NSW parliament for over 10 years, and never have I experienced such a homophobic, sexualised attack that exposed me to contempt, ridicule and extreme abuse, based on my sexuality.
In a separate statement, NSW police said they have also launched an investigation into the matter:
Officers attached to Surry Hills Police Area Command have commenced an investigation after receiving reports of online harassment directed at a 42-year-old man.
Inquiries are continuing.
The tweet, which has been deleted, came in the aftermath of the NSW election in March, and was widely condemned both in NSW and in Canberra. The tweet has been deleted.
Josh Butler
Voice committee to hear from passionate supporters and critics
The parliamentary committee investigating the Indigenous voice referendum will hold its last scheduled hearing on Monday, with a daylong session to hear from some of the most passionate supporters and critics of the constitutional change – including Warren Mundine, Noel Pearson and Frank Brennan.
After its first hearing in Canberra two weeks ago, then heading to Orange, Cairns and Perth, the committee returns to the capital today. First up will be a panel of “existing Voice bodies”, to hear from Dale Agius, the commissioner of South Australia’s First Nations voice, and Aunty Geraldine Atkinson from Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly.
Both those bodies are state-based equivalents of an Indigenous consultation body, and are likely to feed into a national voice if the referendum is successful.
Later, the hearing will be joined by representatives of Uphold & Recognise, the group of constitutional conservatives which has backed an Indigenous voice. The Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who quit as shadow attorney general last month to campaign for the voice, was among the founders of that group.
Brennan, the academic who has backed the voice but consistently pushed for its power to advise executive government to be wound back, will also give evidence. Brennan’s submission to the inquiry called for “executive government” to be replaced with “ministers of state” in the constitutional alteration, raising concerns about legal challenges with the current wording.
Then it’s over to Mundine, the Indigenous businessman and leader of one of the major No campaigns, called Recognise A Better Way. He plans to tour the country campaigning against the voice with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, the newly appointed shadow Indigenous Australians minister.
After a panel of lawyers including Tony McAvoy and Cheryl Saunders, who both helped advise the referendum process, strong voice advocate Pearson will appear.
Pearson has made news whenever he has put his opinions into the constitutional debate, and his appearance will be one of the headline moments of the hearing.
Good morning
Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you on this May morning. We begin in Canberra, where the parliamentary committee investigating the Indigenous voice referendum will hold a public hearing today, with some prominent figures from both sides expected to be heard. We are also expecting a formal statement from Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung regarding the voice to parliament.
Elsewhere, a “snap review” into hundreds of infrastructure projects has been announced, with the Albanese government accusing the Coalition of leaving them as “fiscal timebombs” in the budget. The projects will be reviewed based on their value and significance, with “press release projects” being the target.
In NSW, the independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich has lodged a complaint with NSW Police against the state’s One Nation leader, Mark Latham, for what he says was “homosexual vilification”. It comes weeks after Latham published a graphic and homophobic tweet about Greenwich in the aftermath of the NSW state election. In a statement, Greenwich said the tweets were “defamatory and homophobic”. Greenwich also said he will be launching defamation proceedings against Latham if he doesn’t apologise.
And finally, housing prices have slowly increased for the first time in nearly a year, marking the end of the housing market downturn. It comes as the government gears up for its budget announcement next week, with all eyes on the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis and increased interest rates.
We’ll bring you more on that and everything else happening across the country today.
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