Illawarra MPs now Ministers
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Kokoda: The big Man Walk
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8 APRIL 2023
Next battle for Ward The re-election of Gareth Ward for a fourth term as the Member for Kiama, this time as an independent, has coincided with his appearances in court ahead of his trial on serious sexual offences. While the contest looked close on election night, later counting of prepolling and postal votes cemented his lead. In thanking the community for again electing him, and the support of his family – particularly his mother, Mr Ward said, “When it comes
Mr Ward outside Nowra District Court
to elections, the people always get it right and it is with humility and honour that I look forward to continuing to work hard and get results for the people of our community as the local Member for Kiama. “I want to thank the people of our community for putting their faith and trust in me for the fourth time. “Thank you to the hundreds of people who worked on my campaign and backed me all the way. “To those who didn’t vote for me for whatever reason,
Have your say on tourism growth Destination Kiama has launched an online survey of business owners and residents to help it determine its priorities and allocate effort and resources. “We invite everyone to have their say whether you live, work or play in our beautiful Kiama area, we want to hear from you,” says Councillor Matt Brown, chair of Destination Kiama. “The Destination Team loves working with our local community, and we wish to make this special place as appealing for the people that live here as it is for those who visit. “While there are always limits to what we can do in
terms of the resources we have, knowing what our priorities are enables us to seize funding and other opportunities when they present themselves.” However Alan Woodward, a member of the Central Precinct Committee, is disappointed with the leading nature of the survey. “There have often been comments in this community about the tradeoffs between tourism activity and the interests of local residents,” he says. “The tradeoffs are real – whether it be about the congestion of traffic in the main street, noise, access to community facilities, or the use
of open spaces and outdoor facitiies by non-residents. “There is also the issue of whether one particular industry, such as tourism should be given priority over other areas of economic activity and endeavour. “The problem with this survey is it makes no attempt to address those tradeoffs, and it presents the community almost with a fait accompli that tourism is good, growth in tourism would be better and we should prioritise tourism over other things. “My question for Council is on what basis do you make that assumption?” He says the precinct committees often discuss
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these tradeoffs, and would welcome the opportunity for detailed information and discussion on tourism activities to take place. The survey provides a range of opportunities for participants to consider and rank infrastructure projects, such as revitalising Kiama Harbour, and asks people to identify the challenges facing the growth of the local visitor economy, such as lack of accommodation and nighttime entertainment.
The anonymous survey is on the Your Say page of Council’s website and closes 28 April. If you disclose your details, you can be sent a souvenir touring map for participating.
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I respect your decision and I am here to serve those who voted for me and those who didn’t.” Acknowledging the work of all candidates, he singled out Ms McInerney, saying he, “found to be incredibly decent, dedicated and hard working. She deserves every accolade for her efforts in this contest and she can be proud of the results she achieved on Election Day.” He went on to say, “This election victory may have seemed impossible to some. I received no preferences from any party and I was deeply disappointed with the smear campaign by Unions NSW. I dare say many decent union members would be disgusted if they knew how their union fees were being spent.” Ms McInerney thanked her supporters and looked forward to a Labor Government, “While the result is disappointing, I am incredibly proud of the positive and disciplined campaign we have run to give both Kiama and NSW a fresh start. “I put my hand up to run for the seat of Kiama to make sure that my son William and kids just like him could grow up in the best future possible. “I would like to thank all my supporters, my campaign team and my family for your help over the last few months – I couldn’t have done it without you. “After a long campaign, I am looking forward to spending some time with my family and continuing to advocate for my community to make
sure we get the fresh start we deserve.” Mr Ward will hear on Thursday, 13 April, whether he will have the historic sexual assault charges heard together and where the trial/s will be held. Mr Ward’s barrister, David Campbell, argued the cases should be separated given the two complainants involved and that they should be heard in Nowra. The Crown contends the charges should be heard together in Sydney. Police allege he indecently assaulted a 17 year old boy at Meroo Meadow in February 2013 and raped a man in his mid-20s in Sydney in September 2015. Mr Ward strenuously denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty. Should the charges be separated, the Crown would have to choose which should be heard first. Premier Chris Minns says he will refer the matter of Mr Ward again being suspended from Parliament to the Privileges Committee of the Legislative Assembly. “They are going to have to take into consideration the likely appeal from Mr Ward to any suspension as well as whether he will bring the house into disrepute, and of course the decision of the electors of Kiama. “That was the set of circumstances that the previous Government imposed prior in the last Parliament, and we believe it is the right place for due process to apply as it relates to Mr Ward.”
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