One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham has broken his silence posting a cryptic message to Twitter saying “Never apologise, never explain’ linking to a news article.

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The post was the first communication from the embattled MP following widespread condemnation of a social media post he directed at gay MP Alex Greenwich which contained a graphic and vulgar description of a sexual act. OUTinPerth, like many news outlets, has chosen not to republish the statement.

Federal party leader Pauline Hanson released a video saying despite calling and texting Latham she had been unable to get a hold of him. Hanson demanded the Latham make a full apology for his statement. The comment has also been condemned by politicians across the political spectrum.

After remaining silent on social media and ignoring media requests for comment for over 24 hours, Latham returned to Twitter posting a link to a news story that highlighted recent research that found when prominent figures make public apologies people are more likely to think they deserved to be punished for their actions.

The news article proposes that former US President Donald Trump can attribute a lot of his success to his steadfast refusal to apologise for any of his errors.

The interaction with independent MP Alex Greenwich flowed on from comments Greenwich had made in relation to the recent riot in Sydney where a group of LGBTIQA+ protesters were attacked by a mob of Christian men outside a church where Latham was speaking. 

In a follow up post Latham said he’d been meeting with “eyewitnesses” to the attack who had told him that the same group of LGBTIQA+ protesters had been protesting against St Michael’s Church in Belfield for 15 years, and church goers had become enraged because the LGBTIQA+ protesters had broken a crucifix. The MP said the media had failed to report this element of the story.

Latham’s latest attack on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the latest in a long series of comments the One Nation MP has made during his time in public life.

Six years ago, he was sacked from Sky News after he suggested a Sydney schoolboy “looked gay”. Latham was dismissed from his hosting role on the Outsiders program after he made a series of offensive comments in quick succession.

Since being elected to the NSW parliament, Latham has focused on bringing in legislation that would stop teachers from being able to discuss “gender fluidity” and introducing laws to protect “religious freedom“. Both bills failed to progress in the parliament.

In 2022 Latham complained about LGBTIQA+ members of parliament at both a state and federal level, suggesting they had too much power and influence. Latham said the media would never report on “The disproportionate, self-centred, destructive influence of gay MPs in all major parties.”

He’s also called for transgender people to be banned from the military, argued that marriage equality was not needed because there were not enough gay couples in Australia, and that all gay couples work in the mainstream media, in his inaugural speech to the NSW parliament he said very few people were transgender, so more attention needed to be given to “mainstream Australia”.

Speaking to Chanel 10’s The Project on Friday night Alex Greenwhich said he did not expect an apology from Latham, but hoped all MPs in the NSW parliament would get behind his call for law LGBTIQA+ law reform.

Greenwich said it was up to Latham to determine if parliament was really the right workplace for him to continue in.

OIP Staff

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