Politicians in New South Wales are facing a constitutional dispute with the state’s supreme court regarding parliament’s attempt to expel convicted rapist and local MP, Gareth Ward. The Minns government sought an urgent hearing in the supreme court to challenge an injunction granted to Ward that temporarily blocked parliament from expelling him. Ward initiated legal proceedings from Silverwater jail, where he is awaiting sentencing on his July convictions involving sexually abusive incidents with two young men in 2013 and 2015.
Leaders within the Legislative Assembly argue that the court lacks the constitutional authority to restrain parliament or any member from bringing forth a motion in the lower house. Consequently, the government plans to request a more urgent hearing while encouraging the court to reconsider its initial decision.
The NSW Premier, Chris Minns, has urged Ward to resign or face removal through an expulsion motion, emphasizing the unsustainable nature of allowing a convicted sex offender to remain in parliament and collect a salary funded by taxpayers. Mark Speakman, the opposition leader, has pledged the Coalition’s support for Ward’s expulsion, criticizing the MP’s continued presence in parliament as a financial burden on taxpayers and a lockdown of the Kiama community’s voice. The unfolding situation has plunged the NSW parliament into uncharted legal territory, as Ward’s actions and the consequences he faces challenge the inherent powers and mechanisms of parliamentary governance.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/05/gareth-ward-kiama-mp-nsw-parliament-constitutional-showdown-supreme-court-ntwnfb
