Mark Latham ambushes Tony Abbott at Penrith RSL, angry veterans tell former Labor Party leader where to go

They used to call Derryn Hinch "The human headline" but "Biffo" Latham has that crown at the moment. The rage and hate that drives the Left is barely confined in him

MARK Latham crashed a veteran affairs policy event by Tony Abbott in Sydney, confronting the Opposition Leader in a packed media scrum. "Long time, no see," Mr Latham said to his former political opponent as the pair met at the Penrith RSL in western Sydney. "Are you brave enough to shake my hand?"

The pair shook hands before Mr Latham, now employed by the Nine Network's 60 Minutes program, quizzed Mr Abbott. He asked Mr Abbott about any role he may have had in the 2003 imprisonment of Pauline Hanson. "I've interviewed Pauline Hanson and we'd like to know, are you willing to apologise for your role in putting her in a prison," Mr Latham said.


"I don't think that's a fair assessment of my role," Mr Abbott responded. Mr Abbott was investigated by the CMC over whether he played an improper role in the chain of events which led to Ms Hanson and One Nation co-founder David Ettridge being convicted and jailed for electoral fraud. The CMC found that while Mr Abbott set up a fund to underwrite a civil legal bid to deregister One Nation in the lead-up to the 1998 federal election, his actions did not amount to misconduct.

Mr Latham went on to ask the Liberal leader about his immigration policy. "I was encouraged at the start of the campaign when you and your spokesperson Scott Morrison said you would be slashing the migration program. "But then it's turned out you've just got the same target as the Gillard Government."

Veterans were upset telling Latham to "piss off".

The confrontation followed a bizarre standoff in which Mr Latham, under the glare of TV lights, stood feet firmly planted about four metres from Mr Abbott. Journalists fired questions at him, but the former Labor leader maintained that he was simply covering the election for Channel Nine.

One veteran shouted ``Piss off Latham this isn't about you".

But despite the overwhelming animosity towards him in the room, Mr Latham calmly poured himself a cup of tea and waited at the centre of a media scrum at the Penrith RSL Club.

He then followed the media pack upstairs and sat in the front row where Mr Abbott was holding a press conference. Mr Latham then challenged Mr Abbott to get infrastructure priorities right. "The real priority is the Glenfield to Leppington line," Mr Latham said. "Will you fast tracked the real priority ... recognising it may not be in a marginal seat."

Mr Abbott said he was pleased Mr Latham was still concerned about former constituents. "Good on you for that." But Mr Abbott said his infrastructure commitments were part of a well thought out plan.

Mr Latham made two attempts at a question in the packed conference before Mr Abbott turned to him. He remained silent as Mr Abbott answered further questions including one on the rising empoloyment rate.

Mr Abbott said he was disappointed at the rise but warned that if further stimulus was needed it had to be the right kind of stimulus, with wastage.

Mr Latham insisted he had supporters when he tuned up to the RSL. While veterans told him to go away _ ""piss off Latham, this is about veterans" _ Mr Latham said there was at least one supporter who encouraged him ... In a newspaper column in 2009, Mr Latham described the nation’s soldiers as “meatheads”. He said they had "limited intelligence and primeval interests in life", in a column in The Australian Financial Review.

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