NSW Premier Chris Minns has slammed convicted sex offender and independant minister for Kiama, Gareth Ward, after his lawyers filed an injunction to stop him being kicked out of parliament.
Ward — an independent member for Kiama — was convicted of one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of assault with an act of indecency, involving two male victims, in late July. Despite many calls for Ward to resign following the allegations and conviction, he has not, and Ward has publicly stated that he will appeal the conviction at the “earliest opportunity”.
Following the verdict, Minns and the Liberal Party (which Ward used to be a member of) sought to boot him from parliament, and a motion to dismiss Ward was set to be introduced to the Lower House on Wednesday. However, thanks to Ward’s injunction, the hearing is likely to be delayed.
However, Minns says the NSW Government is seeking an “urgent hearing” in the Supreme Court for Friday and that the idea of Ward remaining in parliament after serious sexual convictions is “unconscionable”.
“The government will seek an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court to have those orders dealt with,” Minns confirmed to 2GB radio.
“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 and working through the night to try and navigate this genuinely unprecedented situation.”
Minns also reiterated his previous stance that Ward should resign.
“That would be the first and most obvious course, but clearly he’s got no shame,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the House, Ron Hoening, who is named in Ward’s injunction, says the court did not have authority to stop the motion, but the government will prevent the vote “out of respect”.
“The court has no power to restrain a member of parliament with privilege to place a matter before the House,” he said.
“The court has no power, we say, to restrain the house from conducting its business on behalf of the people, whether or not we take that step.
“I think at this stage, we’ll respect the court process and try and get the matter reconsidered as quickly as possible.”
If or when Ward gets expelled from parliament, a by-election will be held in Kiama.
Originally, Ward was suspended from parliament after he refused to step down when the allegations first surfaced in 2022. Despite the allegations against him at the time, he was re-elected as the MP of Kiama in 2023.
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