Mark Latham was sacked by Sky News last week after calling a Sydney high school student "gay". Credit:Sky News "While we support strong opinions and robust arguments, we pride ourselves in doing so in a civil and respectful manner." Sky News political editor David Speers said the termination was effective immediately. Latham was condemned by former Labor colleagues, including leader Bill Shorten and deputy leader Tanya Plibersek on Wednesday, as a furore formed over remarks he made on the Outsiders program on March 12. Responding to a video about feminism made by students at Sydney Boys High School, Latham called the teenagers "dickheads" and said: "I thought the first guy was gay."

Mr Shorten said Latham had exhibited "sad, attention seeking behaviour" and was acting "like a bully". Ms Plibersek, whose electorate takes in the school, said its captain, Hugh Bartley, and his classmates were "better men than Mark Latham has ever been", and that Latham should be "ashamed". Latham was also rebuked by federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham and his NSW counterpart, Rob Stokes. Senator Birmingham said Latham should "pick on someone his own size". Latham had alienated his own Sky News colleagues in recent weeks by calling presenter and former NSW premier Kristina Keneally a "Yankee sheila" and "protege of Eddie Obeid", prompting her to lodge a formal complaint. Since losing the 2004 election to John Howard and quitting Parliament, Latham has held a number of positions with different media outlets but has been ousted from most of them following public controversy or disputes with editors.

In 2015, he lost his role as a columnist on The Australian Financial Review, published by Fairfax Media, after Buzzfeed revealed he had used Twitter to abuse domestic violence campaigner and Australian of the Year Rosie Batty. The Financial Review said he resigned but Latham complained on Twitter that he had been "sacked". He also fell out with two consecutive editors of the conservative Spectator magazine - Tom Switzer and Rowan Dean - leading to the cessation of his column on both occasions. He later rekindled his friendship with the men. Latham is no longer a financial member of the ALP and in recent years his commentary has focused on social issues, with particular venom reserved for feminism, identity politics and the Safe Schools anti-bullying program. Latham returned to his rarely-used Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon, slamming the "outrage industry" and attacking Mr Shorten as "ungrateful". He made no reference to his dismissal from Sky News but defended his remarks about the high school student.

"Why does bigoted Left assume use of word 'gay' automatically negative?" he said. "I love gays! Away from poisonous Left politics, they are great people." It was the first time Latham used his Twitter account since the demise of his contract with the Financial Review in August 2015. Latham was nearly picked up as a columnist by The Age, also published by Fairfax Media, early last year. But he was dropped before his first column after a revolt by newsroom journalists. He remains a regular contributor to News Corp's Sydney Daily Telegraph. - with Heath Aston and James Massola