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Mark Latham

Mark Latham
Ac.marklatham.jpg
Latham in 2003
Leader of the Opposition
Elections: 2004
In office
2 December 2003 – 18 January 2005
Prime Minister John Howard
Deputy Jenny Macklin
Preceded by Simon Crean
Succeeded by Kim Beazley
Leader of the Labor Party
In office
2 December 2003 – 18 January 2005
Deputy Jenny Macklin
Preceded by Simon Crean
Succeeded by Kim Beazley
Manager of Opposition Business in the House
In office
16 June 2003 – 8 December 2003
Leader Simon Crean
Preceded by Bob McMullan
Succeeded by Julia Gillard
Member of the Australian Parliament for Werriwa
In office
28 January 1994 – 18 January 2005
Preceded by John Kerin
Succeeded by Chris Hayes
Personal details
Born (1961-02-28) 28 February 1961 (age 55)
Ashcroft, New South Wales, Australia
Political party Australian Labor Party (1980-2005)
Spouse(s) Janine Lacey
Children 2
Alma mater University of Sydney (BEc Hons)

Mark William Latham (born 28 February 1961) is a former Australian politician who was the leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005. He led the party at the 2004 federal election.

Born in Sydney, Latham attended Hurlstone Agricultural High School before going on to study economics at the University of Sydney. He was elected to the Liverpool City Council in 1987, and became mayor in 1991. Latham entered federal parliament at a 1994 by-election for the Division of Werriwa, a safe Labor seat. He was included in Labor's shadow cabinet after the 1996 federal election, but left the frontbench in 1998 following a dispute with the party leader, Kim Beazley. He returned to the shadow cabinet in 2001, when Simon Crean became leader.

Latham became leader of the Labor Party in December 2003, following Simon Crean's resignation, when he narrowly defeated Kim Beazley in a leadership election. He was the youngest leader of the party since Chris Watson in 1901. At the 2004 federal election, the Labor Party lost five seats and reduced its share of the two-party-preferred vote, with the incumbent prime minister, John Howard, re-elected to a fourth term. Latham resigned as leader in January 2005, and left parliament at the same time. After leaving politics, he published a controversial memoir, The Latham Diaries, in which he condemned the general state of political life in Australia.


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