Kiama MP Gareth Ward charged amid allegations of sexual violence
Gareth Ward has been suspended from the Liberal party hours after police charged the Kiama MP with historical sexual violence. Mr Ward has declared he is “completely innocent”.
Police & Courts
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Kiama MP Gareth Ward has been suspended from the Liberal party after he was charged with historical sexual violence.
State director Chris Stone wrote to the MP to inform him of the suspension, following a request from Premier Dominic Perrottet.
Mr Ward has indicated he will fight the charges and declared he is “completely innocent” after being charged by police on Tuesday.
In a statement Mr Ward said: “I have today been charged in relation to events alleged to have taken place in 2013 and 2015,” he said.
“I am completely innocent of the charges brought against me.
“I will be instructing my lawyers to seek to bring this matter before the courts as quickly as possible and I look forward to demonstrating my innocence there.”
A NSW Police statement said officers had charged a 40-year-old man with three counts of assault with act of indecency and one count each of sexual intercourse without consent and common assault.
“Police will allege in court that the man indecently assaulted a 17-year-old boy at Meroo Meadow in February 2013, and sexually abused a 27-year-old man in Sydney in September 2015,” it said.
He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday 18 May 2022.
On Tuesday afternoon, Premier Dominic Perrottet had called for Mr Ward to resign from parliament, declaring that the government would move to boot him from office if he did not quit.
Mr Perrottet also asked Mr Stone to suspend Mr Ward from the party pending the outcome of the criminal trial against him.
“The Member for Kiama Gareth Ward faces criminal charges following an extensive investigation by police and a review of the matter by the Director of Public Prosecutions,” Mr Perrottet said in a statement.
“While Mr Ward is entitled to the presumption of innocence, as any citizen is, the standards expected of an elected Member of parliament are not compatible with the seriousness of the charges he is facing.
“Following discussion with the Acting Premier, I have therefore attempted to contact the Kiama MP to seek his resignation from the parliament with immediate effect.
“Should Mr Ward not resign, the government will move a motion to remove him from the parliament.
“Mr Ward is entitled to defend himself against the serious charges against him but he must do that as a private citizen,” Mr Perrottet said.
The NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes squad began investigating allegations of sexual violence-related offences against Mr Ward in May last year.
Mr Ward last year stepped down from the ministry and moved to the crossbench after revealing he was being investigated by police.
Opposition leader Chris Minns described Mr Ward’s position as “completely untenable” but declared Labor wouldn’t move a no confidence motion because they didn’t want to “add to the instability” of the NSW Government.
“Clearly the position of the Member for Kiama is completely untenable, given the serious nature of the charges levelled against him this morning. I’m really concerned given the nature of these charges,” he said on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Minns said the Opposition would back him if Premier Dominic Perrottet moved an expulsion motion for Mr Ward but said Labor would probe the police operation which resulted in the MP being charged.
“If the member for Kiama doesn’t resign, we won’t be moving a no confidence motion in the government of New South Wales. They’ve got a job to do,” he said.
“The people of New South Wales must come first before politics, but we will reserve our right to ask questions about the circumstances leading up to the establishment of Task Force Cordello in 2020.”
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