The Sauce: Gareth Ward keen to find out why CCTV footage of him has been released

In 2019 MP Gareth Ward called for CCTV cameras in Albion Park CBD. Now he wants to know why footage has been released of him allegedly rocking up to parliament in his socks and jocks after 4am. Read details in The Sauce.

Some trouble-making politicians on Macquarie Street have started referring to Kiama MP Gareth Ward as “Captain Underpants”, following your Sauce guest columnist revealing that he turned up to parliament in his socks and jocks after 4am one Sunday in July.

Ward says he went to parliament to get a spare key after being woken by a noise and locking himself out of his apartment.

But when we were preparing to publish our story, Ward – through lawyers – claimed that it would be unlawful to publish CCTV we obtained through a freedom of information request without his permission. He now reportedly wants to demand why the footage was released.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Beloved children’s book character Captain Underpants.

It is quite the about-face from the Kiama MP, who in 2019 used a parliamentary speech calling for CCTV cameras in Albion Park CBD.

“There are those who oppose CCTV cameras, citing concerns over personal privacy … I cannot agree with these claims,” he said.

“If you are not doing anything wrong then you have absolutely nothing to hide.”

HOME TRUTHS

They say all politics is local and that is true nowhere more so than on the Insular Peninsula, where a storm has erupted over which candidate has greater local credentials to represent the Pittwater electorate.

Teal independent Jacqui Scruby fired the first salvo, blasting Liberal Georgia Ryburn as a blow-in. Ryburn lives in Frenchs Forest, outside the Pittwater state electorate.

Scruby’s backers at Climate 200 have even sent out unsolicited text messages urging people to “Vote Local”. Awkwardly, those text messages were sent to people outside the electorate.

Teal independent Jacqui Scruby.

Liberal Georgia Ryburn.

Scruby’s opponents have raised their own questions about whether the Teal challenger is truly one of the tribe. ASIC records for one company of which she is a director show a Bondi address.

Her team insist she is legit, and that she has lived in the electorate “for the past five years”. They even provided receipts.

However, we are told Scruby did live between two addresses, including one outside the electorate, during Covid.

Meanwhile, Scruby – who lost by a mere 600 votes at the last election – has been proudly telling voters she is a lawyer. While she has been admitted, she is not currently on the practitioners roll.

“This is a desperate and baseless point that diverts from the real misrepresentation happening in this by-election — that my Liberal opponent says she’s local but doesn’t live in the electorate,” Scruby said.

RUBBISH ACT

It seems some of Clover Moore’s supporters are still celebrating the re-elected Lord Mayor retaining her role as supreme leader two weeks ago.

The Sauce spotted a number of Clover’s election posters still proudly zip-tied to traffic signs on Friday.

Many of Moore’s election corflutes this year have been retooled from elections past. Perhaps leaving the signs at the mercy of thieves and vandals is a sign that this really is Clover’s last term?

Anyway, the election is over; clean up after yourselves.

TELE WIN

According to Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, you can thank this masthead for Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approving three coal mine extensions

Faehrmann made the comments in a love-in of “Rising Tide” activists at NSW Parliament House on Wednesday night.

There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth in Parliament’s theatrette about the protest laws and the mining industry: Faehrmann accused publications including this one of raining “fury” on Plibersek after she blocked the location of the McPhillamys tailings dam due to Indigenous heritage concerns.

Faehrmann claimed the backlash Plibersek received after that decision led to the Minister to approve three coal mine extensions on one day.

SPOTTED

The boys were on last Friday, with a power lunch to celebrate Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson’s birthday.

Those spotted at Malaya included the man himself, Bob Carr, Tony Burke, Sam Crosby, John Coates, Mark Bosnich, Mick Fuller and Richard Wilkins.

Famously one of Sydney’s best lunchers, Richo turned 75 on Friday. In a sign that the ravages of time catch up with all of us, the lunch was over by 3.30pm.

Linda Silmalis is on leave

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