Gareth Ward said the imputation that he was drunk was both wrong and defamatory.
NSW MP Gareth Ward has denied being drunk outside Parliament House at 4am on July 21, saying he was trying to retrieve his spare key after accidentally locking himself out of his apartment.reported on a parliamentary security report which alleged Ward smelled of alcohol, was wearing a "t-shirt, underwear and socks" and had a gash on his head when he arrived at the building that morning.
The Independent MP for Kiama, who is before the courts on a series of alleged sex offences, said the imputation that he was drunk was both wrong and defamatory.NSW MP Gareth Ward has denied being drunk outside Parliament House at 4am on July 21. "Given it was freezing at around 4am in July, with no prospect of getting a locksmith, not having my phone and with my property around eight minutes walk/jog to Parliament, I went to Parliament to get my spare key," he said in a statement.
Ward began his political career at the age of 22, when he was elected councillor for the Shoalhaven City Council in 2004. In 2019, he was sworn in as NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services under former premier Gladys Berejiklian. Ward was charged with a number of sex offences against a teenage boy and a man, which he denies, in 2022.
He moved to the crossbench before he was suspended from parliament. He returned the following year when he was re-elected as Kiama MP.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
MP denies being drunk and in underwear outside parliament at 4amGareth Ward, a former Liberal Party minister turned independent, said he had come to parliament in the early hours of July 21 after locking himself out of his apartment.
Read more »
‘Cup of tea?’: The 4am offer that meant so much as a new mum.On this Father’s Day, Jamila Rizvi raises a cuppa to her devoted dad.
Read more »
‘Cup of tea?’: The 4am offer that meant so much as a new mum.On this Father’s Day, Jamila Rizvi raises a cuppa to her devoted dad.
Read more »
‘Cup of tea?’: The 4am offer that meant so much as a new mum.On this Father’s Day, Jamila Rizvi raises a cuppa to her devoted dad.
Read more »
Iconic Chapel Street nightclub says it’s ‘heartbroken’ as man fights for life after stabbingPolice were called to Revolver Upstairs at about 4am on Sunday after reports two unknown offenders had stabbed a man and fled.
Read more »
‘Almost teared up’: Injury-riddled quick’s ‘unreal journey’ from casualty ward to record booksCricket: Western Australia's second-gamer Bryce Jackson has broken that state's one day bowling record with a six wicket haul against South Australia.
Read more »