Mark Latham left Randwick Racecourse on Saturday with, potentially, a huge loss — after he was sensationally served with a bankruptcy notice for the more than $170,000 in damages he owes after he vilified and defamed an openly gay parliamentary colleague.
The Saturday Telegraph, covering The Golden Eagle racing event on Saturday, captured Mr Latham walking toward the exit moments after he was spotted immersed in discussions with a man, who was then seen handing the state politician a stack of papers.
The Telegraph has since been able to confirm the papers were a bankruptcy notice, personally served on Mr Latham by representatives of Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, who successfully sued the Upper House member in the Federal Court for vilification, pertaining to a homophobic social-media post and string of subsequent comments.
When approached at the racecourse and asked about the papers, Mr Latham told The Telegraph reporter to stop being a “nosy dickhead”, refusing to comment on the matter.
“Ahhhh, I don’t know what (the bundle of papers) is, I haven’t looked at it,” he said when approached.
“It (whether he would pay Mr Greenwich) is none of your business, mate … Nosy dickhead.”
The amount being chased, The Telegraph understands, is for the court-ordered damages, including interest, of about $180,000 – and doesn’t include the legal costs Mr Latham has also been ordered to pay, totalling almost $1 million.
Having been served with the bankruptcy notice, Mr Latham would have 21 days to pay the outstanding debt.
If he doesn’t pay, or cannot pay, the creditor, which in this case would be Mr Greenwich, could then apply for a court to declare him officially bankrupt.
Under the NSW Constitution Act 1902, any member of parliament who “becomes bankrupt or takes the benefit of any law for the relief of bankrupt or insolvent debtors” must have their seat declared vacant.
The Telegraph understands that Mr Latham’s lawyers had so far refused to accept service and the notice on behalf of the MP, leaving Mr Greenwich’s representatives little choice but to serve it personally.
In June, a federal court judge dismissed Mr Latham’s appeal against the original judgment. That 2024 judgment found Mr Latham defamed Mr Greenwich in a homophobic X post, and subsequent comments in the media, in 2023 – painting and vilifying the Sydney MP as someone who engaged in “disgusting sexual activities”.
The court ordered Mr Latham to pay Mr Greenwich $100,000 for non-economic loss, and a further $40,000 in aggravated damages, as well as a portion of the Sydney MP’s legal costs.
Sydney NSW MP Alex Greenwich successfully sued Mr Latham. Picture: Nikki Short
Speaking outside the court in early October, when Mr Latham’s application for special leave to appeal was rejected, Mr Greenwich said that it brought “an end” to three years of “tough legal proceedings”.
“I took this legal action not only to stand up for myself and protect my reputation, but also to stand up for the LGBTQ community and help lift the standards of public discourse in my profession,” Mr Greenwich said in early October.
“No one should have to endure the kind of abuse I experienced, particularly from someone holding public office.
“At a time when politics is too often dominated by division, hostility and personal attacks, this outcome sends an important message.”
The Telegraph revealed in 2025 a series of allegations against Mr Latham, stemming from a now-withdrawn apprehended violence order (AVO) application by his former partner, Nathalie Matthews.
Mark Latham, left, and Nathalie Matthews a few years ago at Randwick Racecourse. Picture: Sam Ruttyn
Mr Latham has always denied the allegations of “abuse and manipulation” Ms Matthews had alleged in her AVO, which she brought in a private capacity, before she dismissed the application ahead a planned hearing in May, scrapping proceedings.
Separately, the MP allegedly spent the night of his 64th birthday with two escorts with Ms Matthews, his then partner, requesting that they refer to Mr Latham as “master”.
The Telegraph also revealed how the MP exchanged graphic and sexually explicit WhatsApp messages with Ms Matthews while sitting in the parliamentary chamber.
In one text Mr Latham said he needed to “badly taste” Ms Matthews, while in another he suggested his “c..k needs relief”.
In other WhatsApp and text messages, Mr Latham made disparaging remarks about female Legislative Council colleagues.
Originally published as Mark Latham served with bankruptcy notice at Randwick Racecourse.