Ward’s case to be heard in April 2024

It will be another year before the sexual assault charges against the Member for Kiama, Gareth Ward, will be held in Sydney, with the trial set down to start Monday 8 April 2024.

Mr Ward’s barrister had applied to the court to have the charges heard separately, rather than together, given they arise from incidents in 2013 and 2015, but the judge ruled against this.

He also applied to have them heard in Nowra, rather than at the Downing Centre Court in Sydney, but this too was unsuccessful.

Mr Ward has pleaded not guilty to the charges of rape (sexual intercourse without consent), three counts of assault with an act of indecen- cy and one count of common assault. be addressed and only 13 of them were not completed, including seven ongoing tasks.

The alleged incidents involve a 17 year old at Meroo Meadow in 2013 and a 27 year old man in Sydney in 2015.

It is estimated the trial will take three weeks.

Mr Ward has recently been re-elected as the Member for Kiama, this time as an independent, despite the charges being laid.

The NSW Premier Chris Minns has referred his situation to the Privileges Committee of the Legislative Committee, to establish whether he should again be suspended from Parliament given the seriousness of the charges.

“It was a project that ran for about six months, on top of the organisation’s regular work. I think it was an extraordinary effort,” says Ms Stroud.

SIP2 incorporates the decisions already made by Council, including to sell Blue Haven Bonaira.

In some good but sobering news, Kiama Council’s accounts for 2020/1 have been finalised by the auditors at last, at a cost of $370,000.

They would normally be expected to be signed off by December 2021, and the audit for the previous year was just $67,000.

Unusually, the 2021/2 audit is to be conducted by the Audit Office itself at a cost of $378,000 and this is expected to be completed in June.

“The most important issue for the Audit Office was our status of a going concern,” says Ms Stroud.

“Now they are satisfied that we are a going concern – that is why they asked for the two year cashflow, so they could make an assessment of that year end position.”

The accounts are still qualified regarding the adequacy of records and internal systems.

This qualification is expected to continue into the 2022/3 financial year.

“I want that qualification to be lifted off us as fast as possible so that the audit fee goes down, and it stops interfering with our ability to attract funding,” says Ms Stroud.

The Meeting also noted Council has been told by ICAC that it will not be investigating further the confidential matter Council self-reported on in November.