Video emerges of Mark Latham and Brad Hazzard exchanging insults in NSW Parliament

A bitter scuffle has broken out between two of the most senior politicians in the New South Wales parliament over whether any of them were ‘close contact’ during a Covid outbreak.

Brad Hazzard, NSW Health Minister and NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham – who have 66 years of combined political experience – exchanged insults on Thursday as a committee chairman thrashed.

Mr Latham questioned Mr Hazzard during a hearing of the Budget Estimates Committee on Thursday about a June 2021 incident in which the minister allegedly shook hands with Nationals member Adam Marshall.

Mr Marshall later tested positive for Covid-19.

On Thursday, Mr Latham claimed that Mr Hazzard had not followed Covid’s public health guidelines correctly, accusing him of “raping” the rules.

Hazzard ruined Latham’s dogged line of inquiry with a series of personal insults, including calling him an “asshole,” “crazy,” “a liar,” and “an obsessive.”

The video opens with Mr Hazzard reading from his phone saying ‘I have a text here saying ‘I don’t remember Minister Hazzard and I shook hands’ before labeling Mr Latham as ‘really stupid’ .

He further explains that because he was the first preacher to tell people not to shake hands that “I didn’t shake hands with anyone.”

Pointing directly at Mr. Latham, he added, “And I’m telling you, I won’t shake your hand at any stage.”

Mr Latham shot back, ‘Nobody asks you that, but you can answer some questions, why have you been in isolation for 24 hours…’

Mr Hazzard ruined Mr Latham’s dogged line of inquiry with a series of personal insults, including calling him a ‘twit’, ‘crazy’, ‘a liar’ and ‘an obsessive’

Mr Hazzard intervened and said ‘because everyone, you idiot, has been told…’

That prompted the first call to order from the hearing chairperson, Labor member Greg Donnelly, who insisted: ‘We are not referring to people…’

“Well, he’s a jerk,” Mr Hazzard said, doubling down.

‘Minister! You know better than that,’ advised Mr. Donnelly.

Mr Hazzard then explained that he isolated because everyone, even with ‘every possible, vague’ [contact]was asked to isolate.

“I don’t know why, it was run by the doctors.”

He added that his contact with Mr Marshall was soon regarded as a “casual contact”, before he dug a second time for Mr Latham.

“You know what, you’re just obsessed, you’re crazy, you shouldn’t be in this parliament,” he said.

Mr Latham then said that Mr Marshall had claimed that Mr Hazzard had “violated your own rules”.

“And that’s been confirmed by witnesses. David Heffernan was there, Richard Walsh was there, some of your now cabinet colleagues were at the party, they all saw what happened.”

“You’re a jerk,” Mr Hazzard said again, “you know what, someone should investigate you, because there are many things going on that need to be investigated for you.”

‘Go for your life,’ said Mr. Latham, ‘but this is a question for you, why have you not honestly accounted for—’

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard was isolated after he may have come into close contact with a Covid-infected person last June

Thousands of people identified as close contacts after initially being around someone with Covid, but rigid interpretations later changed

“You’re a liar,” interrupted Mr. Hazzard, as Mr. Donnelly called desperately for order—without success.

“You are a liar and an obsessive,” Mr. Hazzard continued. “No one in this world, except your crazy anti-vaxxer friends, thinks you should even be here. The faster you go, the faster…’

“You’re the one running out of the building because you’re a bum. You know what happened that night.’

‘To order! To order! To order!’

Twitter followers’ opinions on the stoush tended to fall along political lines, but some were unimpressed by two veteran politicians bickering before a committee.

“Our tax dollars at work,” said one.

“This is a good example of why good, moderate, progressive and compassionate people avoid politics,” said another.

The fiery exchange comes after Mr Hazzard revealed that he would not be contesting another four-year term in the next state election.