Latest news with #Gareth Ward
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Katelin McInerney endorsed by Labor for Kiama by-election after Gareth Ward's resignation
Labor's Katelin McInerney will recontest the seat of Kiama in next month's by-election after the resignation of long-time former MP and convicted rapist Gareth Ward. Ward was found guilty by a jury last month of three counts of indecent assault and one of sexual intercourse without consent against two younger men. He resigned less than two hours before a motion on expelling him was due to be debated in NSW parliament last week. If successful, it would have been the first expulsion in more than 100 years. Ms McInerney, who works in the local non-for-profit sector, was only narrowly defeated by Ward in the 2023 state election. In announcing her candidacy, Premier Chris Minns said the party had to be 'realistic about the challenge ahead'. 'This will be a tough seat for Labor to win — but Katelin knows her community, she understands their priorities, and she will work tirelessly to deliver for them,' he said. 'Our government is focused on fairness — rebuilding essential services without an unfair wages cap, and without privatisation. 'We're getting on with delivering for the people of Kiama, but we recognise that the community will have more to say about the needs of this community.' Ms McInerney said the Minns government had started to deliver in Kiama, 'but I know there is more work to do'. 'If I have the honour of being elected as the Member, I will be a strong local voice and deliver more for our community,' she said. 'I will make sure that we continue to deliver the critical infrastructure and services that our community needs and relies on.' Labor hasn't held the seat of Kiama since 2011, when Matt Brown was unseated by Gareth Ward, then a Liberal. Ward held it from then on, until this past week. Ms McInerney was only narrowly defeated on a two-party preferred vote by Ward, 49.2 to 50.8 per cent. She grew up in Kiama and began her career as a local journalist and was the first woman to lead the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance trade union. Further, she helped to establish Women in Media, a mentoring and support network that connects women across the industry, and has worked in the NGO sector. Opposition leader Mark Speakman on Wednesday said it would be a 'herculean task' for the Liberals to win in Kiama. Despite winning the seat with Ward prior to his departure from the party, the Liberals polled only 12 per cent on the primary vote in 2023. 'If you take out the complicating factor of an independent, at the time Gareth Ward, and look at the upper house for the underlying vote, we had 24 per cent, Labor 38. 'In the recent federal election, those polling booths returned 32 per cent primary for us, so we start way behind. It is a herculean task.' Asked he was running a Liberal or Liberal-National coalition candidate, Mr Speakman said 'we are certainly running a Liberal candidate. 'Nominations closed yesterday. We'll be finishing the preselection process urgently and have something to say very soon,' he said. 'I don't think the Nats are running, but you'd have to ask Dugald (Saunders, NSW Nationals leader).'
ABC News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Gareth Ward's lawyer calls NSW parliament 'kangaroo court' amid MP's effort to avoid expulsion
A lawyer for Gareth Ward has described state parliament's lower house as a "kangaroo court" as he argued against the expulsion of the NSW MP convicted of sex offences. The independent Kiama MP, who is in custody after his bail was revoked last week, is seeking orders from the Court of Appeal to prevent the legislative assembly from expelling him. Ward's barrister, Peter King, told the court on Thursday his expulsion from parliament would amount to punishment and a denial of procedural fairness. "His existing right as a member of the assembly to speak in the debate to oppose the resolution is lost," Mr King said. "So in short he is to be expelled by a kangaroo court."
The Guardian
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
NSW faces constitutional showdown as parliament's push to expel convicted rapist Gareth Ward delayed by supreme court
New South Wales politicians are facing a potential constitutional showdown with the state's supreme court over parliament's attempt to expel local MP and convicted rapist Gareth Ward. The Minns government was seeking an urgent hearing in the supreme court on Tuesday with a view to lifting an ex parte injunction granted the previous day to Ward. It prevented parliament, for now, from moving to expel the member for Kiama. Ward commenced the proceedings on Monday night via his lawyers from Silverwater jail, where he has been remanded pending sentencing in September. Ward has said he will appeal his July criminal convictions on three counts of indecent assault and one for sexual intercourse without consent involving two young men in incidents that occurred in 2013 and 2015. The leader of the Legislative Assembly, Ron Hoenig, told reporters that the government did not believe the court had the constitutional power to restrain the parliament or any member from moving a motion in the lower house. However, 'out of respect for the court,' the parliament would apply for a more urgent hearing date, when it would seek to have the injunction lifted. Justice Deborah Sweeney, the duty judge in the supreme court, granted Ward an urgent application for the injunction on Monday night after the government notified the MP and his lawyers of Tuesday's proposed motion to expel him. He was invited to submit any arguments he wished to make. The government did not have an opportunity to make submissions to the court on Monday night. Hoenig said the government's position was that the orders 'have no effect [and] are not binding on the house'. 'The house has an inherent power, in accordance with the constitution, unconstrained by any order. However, because the order has been made by the supreme court of NSW, I have instructed the crown solicitors to approch her honour as soon as possible to reconsider the orders she has made to allow the house to conduct its business … as it has for 169 years,' the leader of the house said. 'The issue is of considerable significance. The house needs to be able to make its [expulsion decision] to protect itself, and we will be making an approach to the judge as early as today.' Hoenig said the scheduled hearing on Friday was too late, as the parliament was due to rise on Friday and would need to be recalled if Ward's injunction was not dealt with more swiftly. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has made it clear he wants Ward to resign – or the government would remove him via an expulsion motion. '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,' Minns told 2GB radio on Tuesday. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Ward's conviction has plunged the NSW parliament into uncharted territory. As an independent member, he has not been under the usual pressure to resign from a political party. Therefore, the parliament is having to rely on a little-used inherent power to protect itself if the conduct of a member would damage the integrity of the parliament and endanger its proper functioning. The government had planned to begin moves to expel him on Tuersday with a vote expected on Wednesday. The opposition leader, Mark Speakman, said the Coalition would support the government seeking Ward's expulsion. '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,' Speakman said on Tuesday. In 2021, Ward left the Liberal party and moved to the crossbench after identifying himself as the state MP under investigation by the child abuse and sex crimes squad of the NSW police force. When charges were laid in March 2022, the then NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, called for his resignation. Later that month, Ward was suspended after a motion unanimously passed the Legislative Assembly. In August 2022, Ward was committed to stand trial. But Ward's voters in the south coast state seat of Kiama re-elected him in March 2023 and he returned to Macquarie Street.
