‘It’s a workplace’: Premier demands answers over MP’s 4am visit to parliament in boxer shorts

The NSW government has ordered a parliamentary committee to investigate whether Gareth Ward breached his obligations as an MP when he showed up at parliament in a state of undress at 4am on a Sunday morning after locking himself out of his apartment.

The government announced on Thursday it had asked the NSW parliamentary privileges committee to consider “any issues concerning the appropriate conduct” of an MP raised by Ward’s early hours visit to parliament.

Independent MP Gareth Ward and Premier Chris Minns.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, Dominic Lorrimer

It came after Premier Chris Minns had earlier criticised the independent MP over the incident, describing the visit as a workplace safety issue and urging parliamentary officeholders to explain what happened.

On Wednesday, The Daily Telegraph reported on the existence of a parliamentary security report which alleged Ward, the independent Kiama MP, had arrived at parliament early on July 21 wearing a “T-shirt, underwear and socks” and with a gash on his head.

The report alleged Ward had smelt of alcohol, but the MP has vehemently denied being drunk and disputed the characterisation of his state of undress. He said he had gone to parliament to retrieve a spare set of keys after being woken by a noise in the middle of the night and locking himself out of his Potts Point apartment. He denied he had behaved inappropriately.

“I did not see anyone in parliament other than a security guard who gave me access to the building,” he said in Wednesday’s statement. “This is this sort of gutter journalism that sees faith in some journalists fall to an all-time low.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has not seen a copy of the report but has confirmed its existence. The Herald has also confirmed Ward was wearing boxer shorts and a hooded jumper.

On Thursday, Minns labelled the incident “very serious” and “far from appropriate in a workplace”.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate in the Commonwealth Bank or the Department of Education, and I think taxpayers would say it’s not appropriate in the NSW parliament either,” he said.

“So the parliament and Mr Ward need to explain what happened here.

“We’ll be looking at their explanations in the hours ahead. This is a workplace. It’s not just members of parliament who work in the parliamentary building.

‘I think Blind Freddy would also say, this isn’t the first time an incident like this has happened with this member of parliament.’

Chris Minns, premier

“We’ve all got a responsibility to uphold standards and behaviour inside that building even if it is at 4am in the morning.”

The government’s leader of the house, Ron Hoenig, on Thursday wrote to the parliamentary privileges committee asking it to consider the incident.

He asked it to investigate whether the incident raised issues with MPs’ “responsibilities and duties to their constituents and the safety and welfare of parliamentary staff”. He also asked it to consider “whether any action should be taken” by the parliament.

Asked on Thursday whether Ward should face a parliamentary censure over the incident, Minns did not rule out such a move: “Parliament has to make a decision about what the next steps are. I’m sure my colleagues will be looking at the allegations. We do regard them as serious. As I said this is a workplace,” he said.

The Telegraph’s report contained a CCTV image of a person at the entrance of Parliament House at 4.24am. Ward intends to contact the Botanic Gardens Trust to demand to know why the image was released.

A former minister in the Berejiklian government, Ward moved to the crossbench and was later suspended from parliament after being charged with a series of historical sex offences dating back several years. He categorically denies the charges and is defending them.

He was re-elected as an independent in his South Coast seat in 2023 and returned to parliament.

On Thursday, Minns referred to previous incidents in which Ward has been located outside his home in a state of undress. In 2020, while a minister, Ward had to be escorted home by police twice after he was found sleepwalking following surgery.

“I think Blind Freddy would also say, this isn’t the first time an incident like this has happened with this member of parliament, so it’s a major concern,” he said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.