Over the weekend, I was invited to contribute to someone else’s blog post. This afternoon, I found myself speaking live on ABC radio. The topic? Gareth Ward – our local member of Parliament who, despite facing serious sexual assault charges, was re-elected by the people of Kiama. And who, as of Friday, has now been found guilty.
On Wednesday, he will be sentenced.
And if he refuses to resign, our community may be represented by someone serving time in prison. Let that sink in.
Constitutional law expert Professor Anne Twomey explains on her YouTube channel that under changes to the state’s constitution in 2000, conviction is considered to mean “once you have reached the end of the appeals process, if you choose to appeal, and not had the conviction overturned”. (Those still in contact with Ward say he is defiant and will appeal.) Source
Both sides of Parliament have asked for his resignation. The media is circling, not because this is a quirky sideshow, but because they can’t quite believe it either: how did a man charged with these crimes manage to keep his seat?
I’ve asked myself the same thing. And to be honest, I still don’t know the full answer.
What I do know is that our community is split. Some people feel vindicated. Others feel betrayed. Many more just don’t want to talk about it. You hear it in the awkward pauses, someone mentions the conviction, another person offers an opinion, someone else disagrees and then silence. Then a change of subject.
It’s a clear example of how hard we find it, as a community, to have difficult conversations. Not just online, but in everyday life.
And here’s what’s even harder – accepting that someone who appeared to be dedicated, effective, and focused on outcomes for the community could also have been abusing their power in deeply harmful ways.
The dissonance isn’t about personal warmth. It’s about the contradiction between public competence and private conduct, and our tendency to overlook troubling behaviour if we think someone is “getting things done.”
That contradiction isn’t new. We’ve seen it in religious institutions, in Hollywood, in politics. And still, every time, it unsettles us. We want the world to be simpler than it is.
It reminds me of what we’ve seen in the United States, where Donald Trump, despite multiple criminal charges, has been elected president not once, but twice. It’s bizarre, but it also says something about how loyalty works. Once people commit to a political figure, it often doesn’t matter what comes to light. The story becomes about defending a side rather than confronting the facts. And we’re seeing a version of that play out here too.
So now we find ourselves in this strange place. A man has been convicted of serious crimes, and some people still defend him. Others want to move on. Others want answers. And many of us, myself included, are wondering what we do next.
I don’t have easy answers. I do have a strong opinion. But I also know I can’t force it on anyone else.
So instead, I want to ask some questions:
How do we build a political culture that values integrity over popularity?
– Why do we ignore red flags when they come from people we think are delivering results?
– What kind of leadership do we deserve and what do we tolerate instead?
– What would it take for our community to stop whispering and start talking?
– And perhaps most importantly: How do we move forward without brushing this under the carpet?
Because at the heart of this are two young men who had the courage to come forward. That cannot be forgotten.
The data is clear: only 13% of sexual assault cases are reported to police. Just 1.5% to 3% result in a conviction.
So, when a jury delivers a guilty verdict, it matters. It shows the system can work, and it gives others hope that they’ll be heard.
And then there’s the timeline. These men waited almost five years for this case to be resolved. That kind of delay is traumatic in itself, it shows how long justice can take, and why so many victims don’t come forward.
We may not all agree on what should happen next. But we can agree that the courage it took to speak up deserves to be acknowledged, and that justice, when it comes, must mean something.
The ABC closed our interview with a question: What would I like to see happen next?
My answer
When we have the by-election, I would like to see our community put aside their commitment to being lifelong Liberal supporters, or lifelong Labor supporters, or lifelong Greens supporters, and truly listen to what these candidates have to say. Investigate what they have done for their communities. And make a decision based on this question, does this person represent my values?
#GarethWard #KiamaVotes #CommunityAccountability #LeadershipMatters #PoliticalIntegrity #CivicCourage #PowerAndTruth #HardConversations #JusticeAndTrust
