Gareth Ward
Updated: Wikipedia source
Gareth James Ward is an Australian former politician and convicted criminal. Ward resigned from parliament in 2025 following a conviction for sexual assault. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and represented the seat of Kiama on the South Coast from 2011 to 2025, serving as New South Wales Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services in the second Berejiklian ministry from 2019 to 2021. He was suspended from the New South Wales parliament in March 2022 until the end of his term in March 2023, after being charged with sexual intercourse without consent, and three counts of indecent assault. He was convicted of all four counts in July 2025. Ward resigned from parliament on 8 August 2025 shortly before a vote on his expulsion from parliament following the guilty verdict in his trial. This triggered a by-election in Kiama. He was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.