New South Wales MP Gareth Ward has been suspended from parliament following the news that police have charged him with several historical sexual assaults.
The suspension will be in place until the criminal proceedings against him are finalised.
The government move the motion and it was passed without opposition. NSW Premier Dominic Perottet had called for Ward to resign from his seat, but the Member for Kiama refused.
On Tuesday the former Liberal Minister was charged with three counts of assault with an act of intimacy, one one count each of sexual intercourse without consent, and common assault.
Police will allege that the 40-year-old indecently assaulted a the 17 year-old-boy at Meroo Meadow in February 2013, and sexually abused the older man in Sydney two years later.
Ward was previously a Minister in the Berejiklian Government but resigned from his position and moved to the cross-bench when it was revealed he was the subject of an investigation.
Gareth Ward was granted conditional bail and will appear at Port Kembla Local Court on Wednesday May 18. In a statement released earlier this week Ward said he was innocent of the charges and looks forward to the opportunity to clear his name.
“While others have already attempted to prosecute my case in the media rather than the courts, out of respect for our system of justice, I will not be doing the same,” he said in a statement. “Accordingly, I will be making no further comment at this time.”
OIP Staff
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