The New South Wales government has called on Gareth Ward to resign after the state MP was found guilty of sexually abusing two young men

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/25/nsw-mp-gareth-ward-found-guilty-of-sexually-abusing-two-young-men-ntwnfb

36 points · 4 comments · view on lemmy.world

4 Comments

princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 1y

People not claiming all right-wing homophobes are secretly gay challenge...

thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 1y

Former member of the Liberal Party, before going “independent” in 2021.

Why am I not surprised?

Zagorath@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Not sure if the Guardian article mentions this, as I just finished reading the ABC article about the case. But apparently he was re-elected while being tried for these crimes. Wtf is wrong with the people of Kiama?

repomonkey@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 1y

I'm local, he's my state M.P. The reason he was re-elected was because he was (and undoubtedly still is) extremely popular with the kind of people who live in this part of the world - by which I mean (mainly) white and well-off. He's without doubt one of the slimiest most vile and repugnant people I've ever met, but he has this base he's built in almost Trump-like way that loves him. Women of a certain age defend his every action on the local FB groups and are giving off very Trump-like vibes about the verdict ("how could the jury do this?" etc). He will, of course, appeal the verdict because he has literally nothing to lose by doing so.