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Sydney MP Alex Greenwich has opened up for the first time about his mental health struggles since being targeted by former Labor leader and NSW upper house MP, Mark Latham. Mr Greenwich said he had been dealing with anxiety, sleeplessness and post-traumatic stress disorder which pushed him reconsider his political career. He successfully sued Mr Latham for defamation over a graphic, homophobic tweet in 2023, and was awarded $140,000 in that case. The member for Sydney in the NSW parliament, who was first elected in 2012, had called Mr Latham a "disgusting human being" after pro-LGBTQI rights protesters were attacked while demonstrating outside an election forum event, which Mr Latham was attending, in Sydney's west. Mr Latham responded with a tweet targeting Mr Greenwich that graphically described sexual acts. In a wide-ranging interview with gay magazine DNA, Mr Greenwich discussed dealing with the abuse that followed the tweet. He said it included hate mail that prompted multiple police investigations. Speaking with ABC Radio Sydney Mornings on Monday, Mr Greenwich said he remembered binders full of emails and handwritten letters containing hateful messages on his lawyer's desk. "It wasn't just one tweet," Mr Greenwich told ABC Radio Sydney. "I have lost count the amount of AVOs [Apprehended Violence Orders] the police have had to take out on my behalf." Mr Greenwich told presenter Hamish Macdonald the abuse was unfortunately ongoing. His legal battles with Mr Latham have also continued. Mr Latham has appealed the Federal Court's defamation decision over the 2023 tweet, seeking to toss the award of $140,000 in damages and findings that the tweet was defamatory. Mr Greenwich is also suing Mr Latham in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for vilification and sexual harassment, alleging four public statements made by Mr Latham breached the state's Anti-Discrimination Act. Mr Latham is defending his conduct as part of the tribunal proceedings. He told the tribunal in August that members of parliament "have disagreements all the time". Recovery through exercise and medicinal cannabis In the interview with DNA, the Sydney MP also talked about his post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis and how he managed it through exercise and using medicinal cannabis. Mr Greenwich recently disclosed he had been prescribed medical cannabis and has called for fairer NSW driving laws to recognise its medical use. "As our drug laws have caught up to allow people to use medicinal cannabis, our driving laws haven't," Mr Greenwich said. He told ABC Radio Sydney ramping up exercise, focusing on his wellbeing and drinking less had made a big difference in managing his anxiety. "I had about 60 days of no booze, and that really was, I think, the real thing that helped my health and well-being more than anything," Mr Greenwich said.
