Gareth Ward resigns from NSW parliament moments before expulsion vote

Convicted Kiama MP Gareth Ward has resigned from NSW Parliament moments before members were set to vote on a motion to have him expelled.

The 44-year-old will lose his taxpayer-funded salary, and a by-election will be held in Kiama to elect his replacement.

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Greg Piper, confirmed he received a resignation letter from Ward effective immediately about 9.08am today.

“Before we proceed with the program as printed, I wish to advise the House that this day, Friday, the 8th of August 2025, I received a letter from Gareth James Ward resigning his seat as a member for the electoral district of Kiama,” he said.

“I further inform the House that I intend to issue a writ for a by-election to be held on a date to be determined.”

Leader of the House Ron Hoenig moved that his seat of Kiama be declared vacant and gained support from the entire chamber. 

Ward has held the Kiama electorate since 2011, winning three elections under the Liberal banner before securing the 2023 poll as an independent.

He is awaiting sentencing for sexually assaulting an intoxicated political staffer after a midweek event in the state’s parliament in 2015.

He was convicted in July of four sex offences relating to incidents against two young men in 2013 and 2015, but still has time to lodge an appeal.

The NSW government had led a motion to expel him from parliament earlier this week, with support from Ward’s former colleagues in the state Liberal Party.

The vote was delayed until today after Ward’s lawyers won an injunction in the Supreme Court.

Ward’s lawyers tried to argue that his convictions were not enough to expel him from parliament under “unworthy behaviour” provisions.

The court rejected those claims and allowed parliament to continue with their motion.

The house was set to vote this morning, moments before Ward resigned from his seat of Kiama. 

Hoenig said this would have been the first time in 107 years that NSW Parliament was set to expel a sitting member.

“The fact that we were about to make such a determination is a pretty shameful exercise, and should have been done following the verdict by the jury,” he said.

“Because the failure of the former member for Kiama to respect the verdict of the jury who convicted him for serious sexual offences demonstrated not only lack of respect to the jury of his peers, this house and the traditions of this house, but to the people of Kiama who had entrusted them to be able to properly represent them.”