MP Gareth Ward resigns ahead of NSW parliament vote to expel convicted sex offender
Ward has been in jail since last week after he was convicted by a jury of sex offences against two young men.
The Court of Appeal on Thursday rejected his legal bid to prevent the Legislative Assembly exercising its power to expel him.
The government was expected to move to expel the former Coalition minister on Friday morning.
Speaker Greg Piper told the assembly he received a resignation letter "effective immediately" from Ward at 9.08am.
Mr Piper said he intended to issue a writ for a byelection in the electorate of Kiama on a date to be determined.
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News.com.au
33 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Gay student's discrimination case against Macquarie University rejected by tribunal
A gay student has lost his battle against Macquarie University after claiming he was discriminated against after being sent on placement to a Catholic school. Simon Margan had claimed the university discriminated against him on the basis of his homosexuality by assigning him to a three-week placement at a Catholic school from 10 to 28 October 2022, despite allegedly knowing that such an environment could be 'dangerous' for an LGBT+ person. He cited what he called the 'notorious fact' of religious schools' opposition to LGBT+ rights. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal refused to grant permission for Mr Margan's complaints of homosexual discrimination and victimisation against Macquarie University to proceed to a full hearing. Mr Margan also complained that the University retained him in the placement, did not reassign him, and initiated a 'fitness to practice' process after he requested to be removed. He further alleged victimisation by the University after he reported discrimination and harassment by staff at the Catholic school. Mr Margan claimed the University refused to let him withdraw from the course without penalty, mishandled his complaint, and informed the school of his grievance while he was still there, causing 'additional detriment.' In a decision published on Friday Deputy President of NCAT, Acting Judge Nancy Hennessy said: 'The conduct which Mr Margan has identified as being detrimental to him as a homosexual person or which he perceives as being unfair, dangerous or done in retribution for complaining, is lacking in substance. 'Contrary to Mr Margan's submission, there is no duty of care under the Anti-Discrimination Act for the University to take 'every reasonable precaution to prevent the reasonably foreseeable harm' of being placed in a Catholic school'.' According to the published decision, Mr Margan initially said his only preference on a school for his mandatory placement was that it be accessible by public transport. He was later told it would be at a Catholic school. Mr Margan, the published decision said, was 'never asked if he objected to being placed in a religious school'. It added: 'He says it would be incongruous for the University to be able to focus on the emails about preferences as a blanket exemption from scrutiny. 'He asserts that he has made numerous representations about his homosexuality and his objections to a placement in a religious school. 'As he was only told about the placement five days before it started, he had no practical opportunity to object and the University made no attempt to establish whether a Catholic school was a problem for him as a homosexual man.' Homosexuality is becoming increasingly accepted by ordinary members of the Catholic Church, according to the American LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. It added: 'The Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text which contains dogmas and teachings of the Church, names 'homosexual acts' as 'intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law,' and names 'homosexual tendencies' as 'objectively disordered.' 'While the Catholic Church does not consider 'homosexual orientation' sinful in and of itself, it does have a very negative attitude toward it.' The Tribunal rejected Mr Margan's claim the University had a duty of care to prevent 'reasonably foreseeable harm' from the Catholic school placement. The Tribunal found it 'highly unlikely' Mr Margan could prove that the placement conditions disproportionately affected homosexual people or that he could not comply. 'The conduct which Mr Margan has identified as being detrimental to him as a homosexual person or which he perceives as being unfair, dangerous or done in retribution for complaining, is lacking in substance,' Ms Hennessy said. She added: 'There is nothing about being a homosexual person that affects their ability to communicate preferences.' The Tribunal concluded both complaints 'lacked substance' and refused leave for the complaints to proceed. Macquarie University had investigated Mr Margan's concerns and found no evidence of harassment or discrimination related to the placement. However, it acknowledged that Mr Margan was not given enough opportunity to withdraw from his study once he became aware that he had been placed in a Catholic school, and did not receive 'adequate feedback' while on placement. As a result, he was allowed to withdraw from the placement unit without penalty.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Tania Rattray appointed as Leader for the Government in Tasmania's Legislative Council
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has appointed independent Tania Rattray as Leader for the Government in Tasmania's Legislative Council, an appointment Mr Rockliff sees as "enhancing collaboration" across the chamber. Ms Rattray, an independent for McIntyre in the state's north-east, accepted the position following a phone call with the premier on Thursday, after citing her frustration with how the house had been functioning. In her new role, she will be tasked with managing government business and steering legislation through the upper house, but will remain an independent. After Tasmanians returned another hung parliament in July's election, a desire for more collaboration has been a prominent theme in ongoing negotiations. Ms Rattray said she will advocate for government legislation in the role, "unless there is something that I strongly disagree with that the people of McIntyre have asked me not to support". Liberal member for Prosser, Minister Kerry Vincent will serve as Deputy Leader of Government Business in the Legislative Council. With a motion of no-confidence in the Liberal government expected when parliament resumes on August 19, the appointments could be short-lived. On Wednesday, Mr Rockliff was returned to the role of premier by Tasmania's Governor Barbara Baker, despite his party holding just 14 of the 18 seats needed in the lower house to hold a majority. He will lead a minority government that will need to work more collaboratively with a growing crossbench of independents and Greens. Announcing the appointment, Premier Rockliff said, "we are enhancing collaboration as part of the new parliament, with Ms Rattray's appointment marking a step forward in achieving that". "The people of Tasmania are asking for sensible approaches to work collaboratively, and that's exactly what I am committed to delivering in accepting this position," Ms Rattray said. The appointment of a crossbencher is also set to ease the workload of Liberal minority government members. There are currently three liberal MLCs: Nick Duigan, Jo Palmer and Kerry Vincent. On Thursday, the premier appointed them each to multiple ministerial portfolios. The previous long-term Leader of the Government, Leonie Hiscutt, retired from parliament in May. Minister Jo Palmer then took over the responsibilities, but it quickly became clear why the role historically does not coincide with a busy ministerial portfolio. "Facilitating briefings became a very challenging exercise for the leader because she was also required to be at question time," Ms Rattray said. "We had to cut short briefings and there was a sense of frustration among members." Ms Rattray has more than two decades of experience in politics. She was elected to the seat of Apsley in 2004, which later became McIntyre after an electoral boundary redraw. She is the fifth independent to serve in the role since World War II, but the first since 1998. In a post on X, Greens MLC Cassie O'Connor congratulated her colleague but called into question Ms Rattray's continued independence. Ms Rattray was quick to respond, saying "an appointment of this nature is not unprecedented". "I don't see that that is going to be perhaps as big an issue as what the honourable member for Hobart anticipates," she said. "Obviously, we'll see. But I will still be the member for McIntyre and that will be my first and foremost focus. "I am focused on the role I can play, contributing to the efficient functioning of the Legislative Council and the parliament in the best interests of all Tasmanians."
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign peace deal
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT Australia joins other countries in condemning Israel's planned Gaza City takeover. Azerbaijan and Armenia sign US-brokered peace deal. And in sport, A-League club Western United says they will fight the decision to have their licence withdrawn. Australia has signed a joint statement with several Western nations rejecting Israel's decision to expand its military operations in Gaza and re-iterating calls for a two-state solution. Foreign Minister Penny Wong signed alongside her counterparts from Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, saying Israel's plan violates international law. The statement also says Israel's proposal would aggravate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, endanger hostages' lives, and further risk mass displacement of civilians. Germany's government has also announced it has suspended the delivery of weapons that could be used in the fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected international concern over his plan to take complete control of the Gaza Strip. He accused Germany of rewarding Hamas in a statement responding to its decision to stop selling arms to Israel for use in Gaza. The statement also reiterated Mr Netanyahu's earlier assertion on Fox News that Israel does not intend to occupy Gaza. "Well, we don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us." Arab nations including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, among others, have condemned Israel's plan. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says it will cost the lives of the hostages that are still alive. "To assume that now we are going to reach out for what remained of Hamas and rescue the hostages is a fantasy. It will not happen. And it is totally unacceptable and unforgivable." Azerbaijan and Armenia have signed a US-brokered peace deal that would boost bilateral economic ties after decades of conflict during a meeting with President Donald Trump. If the deal between the South Caucasus rivals holds it would be a significant accomplishment for the Trump administration - and likely to rattle Moscow, which sees the region as being within its sphere of influence. President Trump announced the deal flanked by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. "It's a long time - 35 years - they fought and now they're friends, and they're going to be friends for a long time. I want to congratulate these two visionary people." Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians but located within modern Azerbaijan, broke away from the country with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan took back full control of the region in 2023, prompting almost all of the territory's 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. The peace agreement includes exclusive U-S development rights to a strategic transit corridor that the White House says will facilitate greater exports of energy and other resources. United States President Donald Trump says he expects some form of land swap to be a feature of any ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine. It comes as Mr Trump has announced he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska next Friday to try and broker an end to the war. The Wall Street Journal reports Mr Putin told U-S officials he would agree to a complete ceasefire if Ukraine agreed to withdraw its forces from eastern Donetsk. Mr Trump says the swapping of territories would be to the betterment of both countries. "Well, you're looking at territory that's been fought over for three and a half years with, you know, a lot of Russians have died, a lot Ukrainians have died. So we're looking that, but we're actually looking to get some back and some swapping. It's complicated. It's actually nothing easy. It's very complicated. But we're gonna get some backed. We're gonna some switched. There'll be some swopping of territories to the betterment of both." To sport now, and in football… Western United have vowed to fight the stripping of their A-Leagues licence as the embattled club teeters on the brink of folding. Football Australia withdrew the licence on Friday, saying the owners had failed to satisfy key financial criteria. In response, United issued a statement saying the decision was disappointing and will be appealed immediately. It says plans to raise capital by selling the club are being progressed. United have been in financial turmoil for months, with players and staff paid late in April, May and June while superannuation payments were also delayed. They have also been unable to register players due to a FIFA ban related to an ongoing dispute with former striker Aleksandar Prijovic.
