Mark Latham Lays Into Channel Seven apos;s Andrew O apos;Keefe
NSW Upper House MP Mark Latham has launched a stinging attack on fallen Channel Seven star Andrew O'Keefe under the protection of parliamentary privilege, urging that he be stripped of his Order of Australia.
The former Deal or No Deal host, 50, was charged last month with counts of intentionally choking a person without their consent, common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after it was alleged he tried to choke a woman at his Sydney buy cbd oil berlin apartment.
Latham took to state Parliament this week to demand O'Keefe be stripped of his membership of the Order of Australia (AM), which the ex-White Ribbon board member was handed for TV and charity work.
The state One Nation leader slammed O'Keefe as a 'public menace' in Parliament on Tuesday while taking note of answers given by Natalie Ward, the Minister for Women's Safety.
NSW Upper House MP Mark Latham has used parliamentary privilege to slam fallen Channel Seven star Andrew O'Keefe
Andrew O'Keefe pictured leaving Waverley Court.
The former television host faces a number of charges over the alleged assault and choking of a woman at his CBD apartment
Mr Latham wondered why the government had tried to cancel an Australian honours award given to commentator Bettina Arndt but not one given to O'Keefe
Mr Latham said Ms Ward had been asked what action she had taken to urge the Federal Government to strip O'Keefe of his honour.
'Given that the Government sought to cancel the award of (prominent sex columnist) Bettina Arndt, who has never assaulted anyone, why does Mr O'Keefe have the Government's support in still holding an Australian honour?'
Labor MP Rose Jackson interjected by claiming that Ms Arndt, an outspoken commentator, had 'defended paedophiles'.
Mr Latham then laid into Ms Jackson.
'Rose Jackson urged the action against Bettina Arndt, and [NSW] Attorney General Speakman took it up,' he said in Parliament.
'Why are Labor and Rose Jackson not urging the same action against Andrew O'Keefe?
'It is not a very good example to say it is all right for this O'Keefe character, a public menace in New South Wales, particularly to the safety of women, to hold his Australian honour.
'They try to rub out Bettina Arndt but take no action against Andrew O'Keefe.'
Andrew O'Keefe in the back of a police van after the alleged assault and choking of a woman at his CBD apartment
O'Keefe has pled not guilty to charges including two counts of intentionally choking a person without their consent, three counts of common assault and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm
During the same spray, Mr Latham went on to slam Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed, who owns horse-racing and breeding operations in NSW.
Mr Latham and O'Keefe have some history.
In 2016, before he had returned to politics, the former Labor leader and O'Keefe clashed on Weekend Sunrise clashed while discussing whether women get preferential treatment in society.
In a debate that included Daily Telegraph columnist Miranda Devine and The Guardian columnist Van Badham, O'Keefe accused Latham of personally attacking the other guests.
Mr Latham had declared that 'left feminism is essentially selfish,' to which Mr O'Keefe exclaimed, 'Oh for god's sake'.
The discussion ended with O'Keefe thanking Mr Latham 'for the entertainment'.
Mr Latham responded: 'Thank you for the objectivity, Andrew and maybe next week, you can go back to being a proper professional host.
'If you want to participate in these debates, declare that at the start of segment.'
Andrew O'Keefe and Mark Latham clashed during a debate on Weekend Sunrise in 2016
The one-time Seven Network star recently entered a guilty plea to a single possession charge over 1.5 grams of cannabis.
O'Keefe has been refused bail by a Sydney court over the alleged events at his city apartment recently.
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O'Keefe was charged with two counts of intentionally choking a person without their consent, three counts of common assault and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
His lawyer Arjun Chhabra said O'Keefe would plead not guilty to the other charges.
He also faces separate charges relating to the breach of an AVO relating to incidents that took place last year in which the former star in alleged to have contacted a person who cannot be named for cbd ρm 1000mɡ legal reasons.
