LATHAM’S RETURN

On Wednesday, former Labor leader, Mr Mark Latham announced his decision to join Senator Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, with the intention to run as their number one candidate in the NSW upper house at the state election in March next year.

Mr Latham said that he wished to ‘fight for civilizational values… for free speech, for merit selection, resilience, love of country, all of which are under siege from the left’. He intends to campaign on the issues of immigration, over-development and electricity prices.

Senator Hanson said ‘with myself in the federal arena and Mark in the state… these major political parties won’t have their own way’.

Mr Latham first entered federal parliament in 1994 following his election as the member for Werriwa in NSW. He was promoted to the front bench by 1996, becoming shadow minister for education. He rose quickly through the ranks, becoming the party leader in December 2003.

Mr Latham quit politics following Labor’s unsuccessful election campaign against former prime minister the Hon John Howard OM AC, and turned to political commentary. Often criticised for his tendency to make controversial remarks, Mr Latham returned to political life by joining the Liberal Democratic Party earlier this year, a move which triggered a lifetime ban from the Australian Labor Party. He resigned from the LDP party in September, citing their lack of support for his run for the Senate.