Gareth Ward
Encyclopedia
Gareth James Ward MP (born 1981), an Australian
politician, is a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
representing Kiama
for the Liberal Party of Australia
since 2011
. He is also a councillor on Shoalhaven City Council since 2004.
region and completed his schooling at Bomaderry
High School. He holds degrees in Commerce
and Arts
from the University of Wollongong
. From 2001 to 2006, Ward served on the Council of the Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association at the University. Ward was involved with the Australian Liberal Students Federation.
Councillor
representing the northern parts of Shoalhaven City. He was re-elected on 13 September 2008 and was appointed Deputy Mayor in the same month. Since his election, Ward has raised concerns about larger houses on smaller subdivisions. He has also taken a stance against a Labor
New South Wales State Government
tax on recreational divers and the lack of parking in the city of Nowra.
In 2006, Ward was involved in a dispute with former Shoalhaven City councillor, John Willmott. Willmott was accused of throwing a bowl of tomato sauce at Ward during a Council meeting. The two councillors had previously exchanged e-mails over new proposed building height codes in Ulladulla. Willmott is alleged to have called Ward a "little twerp". Ward responded by criticizing Willmott's spelling at the meeting. Despite a number of Councillors being present at the meeting, none were willing to make public comment about the incident. Ward subsequently called for Willmott to resign or undertake anger management counselling. Willmott did neither but was not re-elected in the following election.
sitting Labor member and former Minister, Matt Brown
.
Australian people
Australian people, or simply Australians, are the citizens of Australia. Australia is a multi-ethnic nation, and therefore the term "Australian" is not a racial identifier. Aside from the Indigenous Australian population, nearly all Australians or their ancestors immigrated within the past 230 years...
politician, is a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
representing Kiama
Electoral district of Kiama
Kiama is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Gareth Ward of the Liberal Party of Australia. This electorate is named after the Municipality of Kiama in the Illawarra, which is at the centre...
for the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
since 2011
New South Wales state election, 2011
Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
. He is also a councillor on Shoalhaven City Council since 2004.
Early years and background
Ward was born in the IllawarraIllawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
region and completed his schooling at Bomaderry
Bomaderry, New South Wales
Bomaderry is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. In 2006, it had a population of 6,601 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the major town of the Shoalhaven,of which Bomaderry is locally regarded as being...
High School. He holds degrees in Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
and Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
. From 2001 to 2006, Ward served on the Council of the Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association at the University. Ward was involved with the Australian Liberal Students Federation.
Local government career
On 27 March 2004, aged 22 years, Ward was elected to the Shoalhaven City Council as an independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Councillor
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
representing the northern parts of Shoalhaven City. He was re-elected on 13 September 2008 and was appointed Deputy Mayor in the same month. Since his election, Ward has raised concerns about larger houses on smaller subdivisions. He has also taken a stance against a Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
New South Wales State Government
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
tax on recreational divers and the lack of parking in the city of Nowra.
In 2006, Ward was involved in a dispute with former Shoalhaven City councillor, John Willmott. Willmott was accused of throwing a bowl of tomato sauce at Ward during a Council meeting. The two councillors had previously exchanged e-mails over new proposed building height codes in Ulladulla. Willmott is alleged to have called Ward a "little twerp". Ward responded by criticizing Willmott's spelling at the meeting. Despite a number of Councillors being present at the meeting, none were willing to make public comment about the incident. Ward subsequently called for Willmott to resign or undertake anger management counselling. Willmott did neither but was not re-elected in the following election.
New South Wales political career
On 12 April 2010, Ward was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Kiama. It was reported that he gained preselection in a 20 to 12 vote against the previous candidate, Ann Sudmalis. At the 2011 state election, Ward was elected with a swing of 12.0 per cent and won the seat with 57.5 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis. Ward's main opponent was the incumbentIncumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
sitting Labor member and former Minister, Matt Brown
Matt Brown (Australian politician)
Matthew James "Matt" Brown is an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Kiama between 1999 and 2011...
.