Gareth Ward
Gareth Ward | |
|---|---|
Ward in 2018 | |
| Born | 1980 or 1981 (age 44–45) Port Kembla, New South Wales, Australia |
| Criminal status | Sentenced to prison |
| Conviction | Guilty on all counts |
| Criminal charge | Indecent assault (3 counts) Sexual intercourse without consent (1 count) |
| Trial | Downing Centre (27 May 2025 – 25 July 2025) |
| Penalty | 5.75 years (3.75 years before parole) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Political staffer and acquaintance |
Date apprehended | 27 March 2022 |
| Imprisoned at | Cessnock Correctional Centre |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Kiama | |
| In office 26 March 2011 – 8 August 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Matt Brown |
| Succeeded by | Katelin McInerney |
| Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services | |
| In office 2 April 2019 – 14 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Pru Goward (as Minister for Family and Community Services) Ray Williams (as Minister for Disability Services) |
| Succeeded by | Alister Henskens |
| Personal details | |
| Party |
|
| Education | Bomaderry High School |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
|
| Website | www |
|
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with deprecated parameter "honorific-suffix". Replace with "honorific_suffix". Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with deprecated parameter "honorific-prefix". Replace with "honorific_prefix". | |
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.