Premier Chris Minns condemns Gareth Ward's court bid to block expulsion
"Late last night, orders were granted in the New South Wales Supreme Court, injunctive orders obtained by representatives of Mr Ward, lawyers for Mr Ward, against the Leader of the House Ron Hoenig [and] the Speaker Greg Piper — which will stop or attempt to stop the expulsion motion in the Legislative Assembly," Mr Minns told Nine Radio this morning.
The motion was due to be introduced today ahead of a vote in the lower house on Wednesday.
If Ward is expelled, his seat in Kiama would be declared vacant, triggering a by-election.
The Kiama MP was convicted last month on one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of assault with an act of indecency, involving two male victims.
He is in custody awaiting sentencing in September and has flagged his intention to appeal.
Mr Minns said the government would seek to overturn the court's injunctive order ruling.
"The government will seek an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court to have those orders dealt with," he said.
"My understanding is the hearing is set down for Friday of this week.
"But, we've got a week of parliament to sit, and I think that most people would appreciate it's an unconscionable situation to have someone who's currently sitting in jail in Silverwater, convicted of serious sexual offences, who is demanding to remain a member of parliament and continue to be paid.
"Our lawyers are assessing [it] and worked through the night to try and navigate this genuinely unprecedented situation."
He repeated previous comments that the motion was not designed to punish Ward, but protect the integrity of the Legislative Assembly.
Mr Minns, who has repeatedly called for Ward to resign, when asked about the issue again, told the station: "That would be the first and most obvious course."
In a statement, Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the opposition would support Ward's expulsion and work with the government.
"However, Mr Ward's legal team should do whatever it takes to get a clear message to him — immediately resign.
Every day he clings to his seat from a jail cell, taxpayers are footing the bill and the people of Kiama are left voiceless. It's not just wrong, it's offensive.
This is about decency, accountability, and basic respect for the community.
Mr Ward should spare the Parliament, spare the courts, and above all, spare the people of New South Wales any further disgrace.
Step aside."
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The Age
31 minutes ago
- The Age
The woman with $2m cash in her boot and the violent trade as ‘lucrative as drugs'
Much of the illicit loose tobacco in Australia is home-grown, while most illegal cigarettes come from China. Those cigarettes are either counterfeits of cigarettes sold here or brands not available in Australia. Because they are smuggled in through Australia's porous border, importers do not pay the tobacco excise – currently $1.40 per cigarette – and lack the barcode, plain packaging and health messaging on their legal counterparts. Loading They are also significantly cheaper, sold through the convenience stores that have become ubiquitous in Sydney. Estimates have the cost price of a packet of illegal smokes as low as $2, providing both a significant profit for the importers and a cheaper product for the consumer. 'Organised crime are filling some of that void. They're able to provide cigarettes between $10 and $25 a packet rather than between $40 and $65 a packet,' Bennett said. NSW Premier Chris Minns in June came out swinging at the Commonwealth tobacco excise – which is indexed and also being increased by 5 per cent each year for a three-year period starting in 2023 – saying it should be reconsidered. On Wednesday, the state government introduced what it describes as 'tough new laws' to parliament. The sweeping new legislation is designed to penalise selling illegal tobacco, and would allow evictions of retailers selling illegal tobacco, business shutdowns and fines of up to $1.5 million. 'As lucrative as illegal drugs' Sydney's criminal milieu has long been keen to meet the city's ravenous appetite for illicit drugs; anecdotal evidence suggests that major players such as the Alameddine crime family can earn up to $1 million a week in profit. Despite these eye-watering profits, criminal groups are increasingly looking to illegal tobacco, says Bennett. A briefing to Police Minister Yasmin Catley, seen by this masthead, suggests players 'responsible for violence in Victoria' have moved into NSW and aligned themselves with 'known actors'. Asian and Middle Eastern organised crime groups have also become involved in the illicit tobacco trade, the briefing says. There are two reasons for this – illegal tobacco has a much larger potential market than illicit drugs, and the penalties for importing or selling illicit smokes are considerably lighter than for drugs. 'Large organised crime groups that have traditionally been involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and ransom, they've all got an offshoot in illegal tobacco,' Bennett said. 'From what I can see, it's easily as lucrative as illegal drugs. 'We're certainly seeing that sort of traditional organised crime tactics around eliminating competition and establishing an area where you can do business.' Loading Arson attacks, which have authorities particularly concerned because of the proximity of many tobacconists to residential dwellings, have been used in NSW, says the briefing to the police minister. Legitimate retailers have also been targeted by organised crime, who are forced to sell illicit products on behalf of the crime group then are extorted for protection money. In a matter before the courts, a man allegedly planned to steal almost $1 million in cash from the home of a NSW tobacconist in November last year. Documents seen by the Herald allege the man used a device to track multiple cars and was heard on a phone tap discussing kidnapping people, dressing up as a police officer to orchestrate a vehicle stop or breaking into storage sheds. Police tracking the man and his co-accused stymied the alleged plot before the money – which police say is profits from illegal tobacco – could be stolen. He cannot be identified for legal reasons. In a separate case, an alleged tobacco runner had his big toe partially severed; in another instance last year, a tobacconist business was burnt to the ground. Bennett said it could be difficult to discern if this extreme violence was born of illegal drugs or tobacco, but 'more frequently we're finding from our intelligence base and from talking to the police, and talking to victims and talking to offenders, that the motivation is illegal tobacco'. The business of illicit tobacco has ensnared a huge number of seemingly everyday people – such as the Sydney woman with $2 million in the boot, now before the courts on two counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime – whose alleged role is to move huge volumes of cash, cigarettes and tobacco up and down the eastern seaboard. Loading In January, a truck driver was caught in one of the north shore's most moneyed suburbs, allegedly with $1 million in the back of his truck. The money was seized by the Crime Commission and he remains before the courts on proceeds of crime offences. That man, too, cannot be identified. Bennett said the NSW Police have been 'very active, very busy' both in vehicle stops of the type that allegedly both foiled the truck driver and the Sydney woman, and in their ongoing fight against organised crime. 'On a local [police station] level is where you get that short-term information based around storage sheds or vehicle movements,' which have led to 'quite a few' seizures north of $1 million, Bennett said. Police are heavily involved in stopping illegal tobacco, but debate has raged over exactly who should regulate it. While NSW Health is the lead agency, it is ill equipped to take on the underworld. Minns has said he doesn't want police taken away from the fight against domestic violence and organised crime. Commercial implications Then there is the question of the place of illegal tobacconists in the commercial landscape. On Penrith's main street, there are four within a 50-metre radius. Dozens more feature along the suburb's main strip. On the other side of the city, tourists alighting from the famous Manly ferry pass three as they walk the 450 metres down the Corso to the beach. 'There's a massive capital investment going into illegal tobacco sales,' Bennett said, something that has alarmed many communities. Independent MP for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby has been agitating for more action on illegal tobacconists, and says there is 'real fear' in the community because of tobacconists' links to organised crime. She says legitimate businesses are being pushed out, neighbouring business owners have seen an increase in insurance premiums because of the risk of firebombs, and people living near or above those shops are concerned about being caught in the crossfire. Scruby has made a number of submissions to a parliamentary inquiry, including buffer zones to prohibit businesses around schools and playgrounds, tougher penalties and moving the responsibility for enforcement to a 'better resourced' interagency taskforce. But with illegal tobacco being sold in plain sight, issues with regulation and the sheer volume of illicit smokes for sale, the problem for government remains diabolical. 'Everyone's got a stake in stopping this and that's got to start with people not buying it,' Bennett says firmly. 'But whether Joe Average is willing to pay double or triple what they can pay to mitigate the organised crime aspect of it remains to be seen.'
Sydney Morning Herald
31 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The woman with $2m cash in her boot and the violent trade as ‘lucrative as drugs'
Much of the illicit loose tobacco in Australia is home-grown, while most illegal cigarettes come from China. Those cigarettes are either counterfeits of cigarettes sold here or brands not available in Australia. Because they are smuggled in through Australia's porous border, importers do not pay the tobacco excise – currently $1.40 per cigarette – and lack the barcode, plain packaging and health messaging on their legal counterparts. Loading They are also significantly cheaper, sold through the convenience stores that have become ubiquitous in Sydney. Estimates have the cost price of a packet of illegal smokes as low as $2, providing both a significant profit for the importers and a cheaper product for the consumer. 'Organised crime are filling some of that void. They're able to provide cigarettes between $10 and $25 a packet rather than between $40 and $65 a packet,' Bennett said. NSW Premier Chris Minns in June came out swinging at the Commonwealth tobacco excise – which is indexed and also being increased by 5 per cent each year for a three-year period starting in 2023 – saying it should be reconsidered. On Wednesday, the state government introduced what it describes as 'tough new laws' to parliament. The sweeping new legislation is designed to penalise selling illegal tobacco, and would allow evictions of retailers selling illegal tobacco, business shutdowns and fines of up to $1.5 million. 'As lucrative as illegal drugs' Sydney's criminal milieu has long been keen to meet the city's ravenous appetite for illicit drugs; anecdotal evidence suggests that major players such as the Alameddine crime family can earn up to $1 million a week in profit. Despite these eye-watering profits, criminal groups are increasingly looking to illegal tobacco, says Bennett. A briefing to Police Minister Yasmin Catley, seen by this masthead, suggests players 'responsible for violence in Victoria' have moved into NSW and aligned themselves with 'known actors'. Asian and Middle Eastern organised crime groups have also become involved in the illicit tobacco trade, the briefing says. There are two reasons for this – illegal tobacco has a much larger potential market than illicit drugs, and the penalties for importing or selling illicit smokes are considerably lighter than for drugs. 'Large organised crime groups that have traditionally been involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and ransom, they've all got an offshoot in illegal tobacco,' Bennett said. 'From what I can see, it's easily as lucrative as illegal drugs. 'We're certainly seeing that sort of traditional organised crime tactics around eliminating competition and establishing an area where you can do business.' Loading Arson attacks, which have authorities particularly concerned because of the proximity of many tobacconists to residential dwellings, have been used in NSW, says the briefing to the police minister. Legitimate retailers have also been targeted by organised crime, who are forced to sell illicit products on behalf of the crime group then are extorted for protection money. In a matter before the courts, a man allegedly planned to steal almost $1 million in cash from the home of a NSW tobacconist in November last year. Documents seen by the Herald allege the man used a device to track multiple cars and was heard on a phone tap discussing kidnapping people, dressing up as a police officer to orchestrate a vehicle stop or breaking into storage sheds. Police tracking the man and his co-accused stymied the alleged plot before the money – which police say is profits from illegal tobacco – could be stolen. He cannot be identified for legal reasons. In a separate case, an alleged tobacco runner had his big toe partially severed; in another instance last year, a tobacconist business was burnt to the ground. Bennett said it could be difficult to discern if this extreme violence was born of illegal drugs or tobacco, but 'more frequently we're finding from our intelligence base and from talking to the police, and talking to victims and talking to offenders, that the motivation is illegal tobacco'. The business of illicit tobacco has ensnared a huge number of seemingly everyday people – such as the Sydney woman with $2 million in the boot, now before the courts on two counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime – whose alleged role is to move huge volumes of cash, cigarettes and tobacco up and down the eastern seaboard. Loading In January, a truck driver was caught in one of the north shore's most moneyed suburbs, allegedly with $1 million in the back of his truck. The money was seized by the Crime Commission and he remains before the courts on proceeds of crime offences. That man, too, cannot be identified. Bennett said the NSW Police have been 'very active, very busy' both in vehicle stops of the type that allegedly both foiled the truck driver and the Sydney woman, and in their ongoing fight against organised crime. 'On a local [police station] level is where you get that short-term information based around storage sheds or vehicle movements,' which have led to 'quite a few' seizures north of $1 million, Bennett said. Police are heavily involved in stopping illegal tobacco, but debate has raged over exactly who should regulate it. While NSW Health is the lead agency, it is ill equipped to take on the underworld. Minns has said he doesn't want police taken away from the fight against domestic violence and organised crime. Commercial implications Then there is the question of the place of illegal tobacconists in the commercial landscape. On Penrith's main street, there are four within a 50-metre radius. Dozens more feature along the suburb's main strip. On the other side of the city, tourists alighting from the famous Manly ferry pass three as they walk the 450 metres down the Corso to the beach. 'There's a massive capital investment going into illegal tobacco sales,' Bennett said, something that has alarmed many communities. Independent MP for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby has been agitating for more action on illegal tobacconists, and says there is 'real fear' in the community because of tobacconists' links to organised crime. She says legitimate businesses are being pushed out, neighbouring business owners have seen an increase in insurance premiums because of the risk of firebombs, and people living near or above those shops are concerned about being caught in the crossfire. Scruby has made a number of submissions to a parliamentary inquiry, including buffer zones to prohibit businesses around schools and playgrounds, tougher penalties and moving the responsibility for enforcement to a 'better resourced' interagency taskforce. But with illegal tobacco being sold in plain sight, issues with regulation and the sheer volume of illicit smokes for sale, the problem for government remains diabolical. 'Everyone's got a stake in stopping this and that's got to start with people not buying it,' Bennett says firmly. 'But whether Joe Average is willing to pay double or triple what they can pay to mitigate the organised crime aspect of it remains to be seen.'
ABC News
31 minutes ago
- ABC News
PBS wait times a more urgent issue than Donald Trump's potential pharmaceutical tariffs, peak medicines body warns
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But Medicines Australia CEO Liz de Somer said a more pressing concern was the process behind listing new medicines on the PBS, with a median wait time of 22 months for a new medicine to land on the scheme once it is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). "And this will have a far greater effect on the Australian system than anything else." When drugs are placed on the PBS, patients are able to receive important and sometimes lifesaving medicines at a small portion of the cost — currently just over $30. The rest of the cost is covered by the federal government. But patients, advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies argue the process leading up to the PBS listing is overly complex, takes too long and involves excessive red tape. The first complete review of the system in 30 years was handed to the federal government last year, making a raft of recommendations to streamline processes so people could access medicines earlier. The recommendations included expanding access to medicines already subsidised for common cancers to other cancers, when that is backed by evidence. The review also concluded that if pharmaceutical companies applied to have their medications approved by the TGA and placed on the PBS at the same time, 90 per cent of promising new medicines could be listed within six months of TGA registration. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler heralded the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) review as "visionary" but has yet to formally respond to its findings, instead setting up an advisory group to help guide the government's next steps. Rare Cancers Australia CEO Christine Cockburn said urgent action was required, with many people unable to afford lifesaving medication that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. "They sometimes access superannuation, which of course that is not what superannuation is for, or they remortgage their houses. "Crowdfunding is not uncommon in cancer treatment spaces, which of course comes with a terrible loss of dignity. It's a terrible thing to have to do, and there are people as well who just have to go without because they can't do any of those things." The time it takes to list medications on the PBS is a long-held gripe of US pharmaceutical companies. They also argue the scheme's pricing policies undervalue American innovation and threaten billions of dollars in lost sales. In March, American medical giants pressed Donald Trump to target Australia with punitive tariffs, labelling the PBS as one of the "egregious and discriminatory" programs that undermines US exports. Labor has already categorically ruled out touching the PBS in any trade negotiations, and a raft of frontbenchers have consistently stressed the Trump administration could not exert any direct influence on the scheme. But the government remains concerned that frustrations over the PBS could see the Trump administration retaliate by hitting Australian pharmaceutical exports. Last year, Australia exported $2.2 billion in pharmaceutical products to the US — about 40 per cent of Australia's pharmaceutical exports — according to the UN's Comtrade database. Ms de Somer said the government could better negotiate with the US, while still protecting the PBS, if it followed recommendations from the review. "If the government committed to implement the reforms of the PBS that they have already identified need to happen, it would go some way to assuage the concerns raised by Donald Trump and the US pharmaceutical industry," she said. "Partly, it is about the time it takes for patients to get access to new medicines, and partly it is about valuing innovation and giving the right value to things that are new and transformative and change people's lives." Former chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), which recommends medicines for the PBS, and chair of the review's implementation advisory group, Andrew Wilson, said the complexities of the system made it difficult to reform. "I don't think there's anybody involved in this process that doesn't want to see this happen faster," Professor Wilson said. "One of the challenges that we've had in the past is not that things haven't changed, but they've changed in a piecemeal fashion. They've changed little bits here and not there and the concern has been the extent to which those changes have actually improved the system, or just made it more complicated." However, Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston accused the government of dragging its feet in its response to the review. "We're sitting here now nearly 12 months after the review has been delivered to government and we have absolutely nothing more from the government," she said. Mr Butler said the implementation advisory group's final report was due early next year, and would help inform future government decisions on reform. "The Albanese government is continuing to make medicines available to Australian patients faster and cheaper," he said. "We know patients want faster access to cutting-edge medicine and treatments. "That's why our government is working through the recommendations of the HTA review, so Australians can get faster access to the best medicines and therapies, at a cost that patients and the community can afford."
