Labor’s Katelin McInerney has claimed victory at the Kiama by-election in the seat vacated by Gareth Ward, who has been convicted of sexually abusing two young men.
McInerney will become the first woman to represent the south coast electorate.
The by-election was held on Saturday as Ward awaits sentencing in prison.
The by-election has brought Kiama back into the hands of Labor, who held the seat for 30 years after it was created in 1981. Ward first won the seat in 2011, when he was a Liberal MP. He retained the seat as an independent in 2023 despite facing charges of sexual and indecent assault.
As the vote was counted on Saturday, Labor’s McInerney had secured 60 per cent of the two–party preferred vote ahead of the Liberal Party’s Serena Copley. McInerney secured more than 37 per cent of the primary vote when counting closed on Saturday night.
As CEO of Women for Election Licia Heath noted on Women’s Agenda, the by-election was a significant event for women’s representation in politics – with four strong, successful women contesting the seat, including for both major parties.
This included the ALP’s Katelin McInerny, a former journalist who also ran for the seat in 2023, the Liberal Party’s Serena Copley, a former Shoalhaven City Councillor and recruitment manager, Professor of Education and former councillor Tonia Gray for the Greens, and businesswoman Kate Dezarnaulds as a community independent.
“I put my hand up to run in this election because I love this community,” McInerney said on Saturday night.
“I grew up here and I wanted to make sure that my son had the same access to world-class healthcare and a world-class public education as I did when I was growing up here.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns offered his congratulations to McInernery on her win.
“I want to make clear, we’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far, but our whole Labor team knows there’s still a lot more work ahead,” he said.
“My Government views this result as an invitation to work even harder for the entire state. I want to thank the people of Kiama for putting their trust in Labor. We do not take that trust for granted.”
Minns also acknowledged the strong vote for minor parties and independents.
“We take seriously the message from voters that we need to do better,” Minns said.
It is unsual for a government to win a seat during a by-election and the result may make life difficult for Opposition Leader Mark Speakman, who faces new pressure to improve the performance of the Liberal Party ahead of the next state election in 2027.