Former federal Labor leader Mark Latham narrowly escaped parliamentary condemnation after being accused of sharing secret government information. The NSW Labor Party proposed a motion to condemn Latham, alleging he disclosed authorized information under parliamentary privilege about a fellow MP.
However, the motion was adjourned until October 13 after being blocked by the opposition. The motion was ultimately defeated 22 to 16 following a heated debate.
Latham is accused of referencing confidential details from a psychologist’s report prepared for the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal during proceedings initiated by independent MP Alex Greenwich. Latham denied the claim, asserting that his remarks were based on publicly available information, including affidavits signed by Greenwich.
Penny Sharpe, the leader of the government in the upper house, moved the motion to condemn Greenwich, stating that revealing personal medical records of a fellow member crossed a line that the house should not toleratе. “If you don’t draw this line, I don’t know what line you are going to draw,” she said, urging colleagues to support the motion.
Latham maintained his stance, insisting he had not violated parliamentary standing orders. Despite the motion’s failure, he was later referred to the Privileges Committee over a separate incident involving the alleged sharing of privileged information from a report by the NSW Police Force.
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