Mark Latham faces bankruptcy and the loss of his seat in Parliament. Donate to defend democracy and stand against the use of litigation and financial ruin to drive an elected representative from public office.
This is an urgent appeal arising from the extraordinary use of legal attacks to destroy an individual on a personal level and remove them from public life. We are in the middle of a fully-fledged crisis of Australian democracy.
Mark Latham has been served with a bankruptcy notice following legal proceedings brought by fellow parliamentarian Alex Greenwich. If those proceedings ultimately result in Latham being declared bankrupt, the NSW Constitution disqualifies him from remaining in Parliament.
This case raises profound questions about representative democracy, the politics of personal destruction and the use of lawfare against political opponents.
Latham has been subject to the strategic use of legal proceedings funded by wealthy and powerful people to weaken and financially exhaust him, with a view to neutralising him politically.
Whatever Australians think of Mark Latham, the prospect of an elected parliamentarian losing his seat through bankruptcy deserves serious scrutiny. It constitutes an unprecedented attack on parliamentary democracy in the modern era, and it must not be allowed to succeed.
Two separate civil proceedings have resulted in substantial financial awards against Latham:
- Federal Court: $140,000 in defamation damages, including $40,000 in aggravated damages.
- NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal: $100,000 in compensation following findings of unlawful vilification and sexual harassment.
Together, the awards total $240,000, before interest and legal costs.
Today, Latham was personally served with a bankruptcy notice concerning approximately $180,000 arising from the Federal Court judgment. Substantial additional legal costs have also been reported.
Mark Latham has spent decades participating in Australia's democratic institutions and public debate.
He has served as a federal parliamentarian, Leader of the Australian Labor Party, federal Opposition Leader and member of the NSW Legislative Council.
His career has been controversial, sometimes confrontational and frequently divisive. His critics are not without grounds for objecting to aspects of his conduct.
His parliamentary record nevertheless includes scrutiny of powerful institutions, government decisions and the expenditure of public money.
Whatever his perceived personal shortcomings, Mark Latham has, on balance, greatly enriched Australian public life. An economist, author, former Mayor of Liverpool, federal Opposition Leader and NSW parliamentarian, he has spent four decades challenging political orthodoxies, scrutinising powerful institutions and advancing ideas about economic reform, education, social mobility and government accountability.
His landmark 2005 book, The Latham Diaries, offered an extraordinarily candid examination of the inner workings of Australian politics, exposing factionalism, political opportunism and the unhealthy relationship between politicians and the media. Even the prominent intellectual Robert Manne, no uncritical admirer of Latham, praised the book's exceptional intelligence, honesty and insight into Australia's political culture.
Fractious, uncompromising and sometimes his own worst enemy, Latham nevertheless represents a tradition of independent-minded political dissent that has an important place in a functioning democracy. He has made substantial intellectual, political and public contributions to Australia, and deserves your support.
I am organising this appeal as a private Australian citizen concerned about the politics of personal destruction, the use of lawfare and the potential for legal proceedings to produce undemocratic outcomes.
I regard the prospect of an elected representative losing office through the financial consequences of litigation as a serious crisis for Australian democracy.
My motivation is personal and civic. I am not acting on behalf of Mark Latham, his parliamentary office or any political party.
This is an independently organised initiative. Any funds raised will be put towards Latham's legal liabilities to ensure he is able to remain in Parliament.
Any funds raised in excess of the amount required to avert bankruptcy will be applied towards satisfying other outstanding judgments against Mark Latham and defraying his associated legal expenses.
The underlying question is bigger than Mark Latham or Alex Greenwich. It is about the relationship between political freedom and the right of Australians to determine who represents them.
