Voters on New South Wales' South Coast went to the polls Saturday in a by-election to replace Gareth Ward after a Teal-aligned candidate described the disgraced former member as "hard-working" and "clever." Ward was convicted in July of sexual and indecent assault and resigned from parliament in August.
Kate Dezarnaulds, a centrist independent often described as a Teal candidate, invoked Ward while urging voters to "keep Kiama independent," telling The Daily Telegraph that "people loved how responsive, how available, how hard‑working he was" and that "both things can be true at the same time, somebody can have made a terrible mistake in their private life but have been a very hard‑working member." Dezarnaulds had previously clashed with Ward and said in 2023 she was "ashamed" that Kiama had re‑elected him while he faced sexual assault charges.
Ward was found guilty in July of sexually abusing two men, including a teenager, and is due to be sentenced Friday. He was dropped by the Liberal Party and sat as an independent before his resignation. His departure triggered the contest that has become the first significant electoral test for the state Labor government since it took power.
Labor candidate Katelin McInerney campaigned with Premier Chris Minns, who said a win would be welcome but cautioned against reading too much into a single by-election result. "It's a strong field for the voters of Kiama to choose from, which is good for democracy," Minns told reporters. "If it's a good result for Labor, we will not be interpreting it as a pat on the back — we'll only be seeing it as an invitation to work even harder for this community and the entire state."
Election analyst Ben Raue told the Australian Associated Press that "Labor seems to be in the box seat," noting it is unusual for a sitting government to gain a seat in a by-election but that Labor had more incentive to campaign hard. A win would not immediately remove Labor's minority status in the state parliament but would move the party closer to a working majority ahead of the 2027 election.
The contest also carries risks for the state opposition. Mark Speakman, leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales, faced questions about his leadership while on the campaign trail. Speakman dismissed suggestions a loss would cost him the job, saying, "We are the underdogs. I will be the leader, I will continue to be the leader. Tomorrow, it's about the best representative for Kiama... it's about electing someone who will take the toughest fight up to the government."
Conservative voters who supported Ward when he ran as an independent in 2023 could consolidate behind the Liberal candidate, Serena Copley, analysts said, complicating predictions. Ward's personal vote at the previous election had been significant, and his absence has opened the field to multiple contenders across the political spectrum.
The Kiama seat had been held by Labor for three decades after it was re-established until Ward won it for the Liberals in 2011. That historical context has fed expectations that Labor could reclaim the electorate, but campaign dynamics and local loyalties have made the outcome uncertain.
Dezarnaulds' recent remarks drew attention because they appeared to strike a reconciliatory tone toward Ward's constituency service while acknowledging his criminal conviction. The Daily Mail reported it had contacted Dezarnaulds for further comment. Officials and campaigners in Kiama said the vote would be decided by local issues and the personal qualities of candidates as much as by broader state politics.
Counting will proceed after polls close and results could indicate how voters respond to the fallout from Ward's conviction and how willing they are to return the seat to Labor or to stick with a conservative representative. Sentencing for Ward is scheduled for Friday, closing a legal chapter that has continued to influence the political contest in Kiama.