Mark Latham defies calls to apologise for homophobic attack

Mark Latham has squared off against growing pressure to apologise for a graphic homophobic comment about openly gay Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, with the newly elected NSW Labor government conceding it lacks the power to discipline him until upper house counting concludes in the coming weeks.

The One Nation NSW leader posted the offensive comment in response to Greenwich's criticism following a violent protest outside St Michael's Church in Sydney's west, where Latham had spoken during the state election campaign. In attacking Greenwich as a "disgusting human being," the independent MP had warned that Latham posed a risk to the state.

After going to ground for more than 24 hours, Latham broke his silence without backing down. He deleted the original tweet, explaining it was unsuitable for children to read — though he framed this as concern for decency rather than an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. Instead, he tweeted "Never apologise, never explain" and linked to an article suggesting public figures who apologised for transgressions were viewed less favourably by the public.

"Sometimes in public life when you throw out insults they come back at you harder and truer," Latham told the Saturday Telegraph, displaying no sign of remorse.

The response has triggered rare cross-party condemnation. Greenwich described Latham's attack as "vile, homophobic and sexualised," noting it briefly brought him to tears. He also pointed to what he characterised as the One Nation member's transphobic views and his role in inciting violence against the LGBTQ community at a rally in Belfield.

"Mr Latham is clearly unfit for office and I hope he gets the help he needs," Greenwich told AAP.

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe condemned Latham's conduct as "completely unacceptable," saying there was "no place for it in NSW, in NSW politics, or in our community."

"The best thing that Mr Latham could do is to apologise to Mr Greenwich," Sharpe said on Saturday. "That's what we want him to do."

Yet she acknowledged the government's constraints. Latham had exploited a loophole in the upper house system by resigning before the election and recontesting his seat, meaning he cannot yet face parliamentary discipline. He will return to parliament with a renewed eight-year term once the upper house count is finalised, expected around April 20.

"Let's see what happens when they press the button on the upper house ballot," Sharpe said.

The controversy has widened beyond the Labor government. Even Pauline Hanson, One Nation's federal leader, distanced herself from the comments. "I think they are disgusting," she said in a video statement, adding she had attempted to ring Latham multiple times without success.

Conservative commentators including Ray Hadley and Andrew Bolt, alongside Premier Chris Minns, have also condemned the remarks.

Greenwich, who is married to his long-term partner, said his focus would remain on advancing LGBTQ reforms in parliament, declining to engage further with the matter directly.