2025 Kiama state by-election
Election in New South Wales, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025 Kiama state by-election was held on 13 September 2025 to elect the member for Kiama in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, following the resignation of independent MP Gareth Ward.
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13 September 2025
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Electoral district of Kiama in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 62,486[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 51,890 (89.82%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ward was found guilty on 25 July 2025 of sexually abusing two men.[2] He was scheduled to be expelled from parliament on 8 August 2025, but resigned the same day.[3]
Thirteen candidates stood in the 2025 Kiama state by-election.[4] Labor candidate Katelin McInerney was projected to have won the by-election at 7:45 pm AEST on election night.[5]
Background
Resignation of previous MP
The previous member for Kiama, Gareth Ward, a former Liberal Party Minister turned independent MP, was convicted on charges of sexually abusing two young men. Ward resigned shortly before a vote to expel him was to be proposed by the government in the Legislative Assembly.[6][7][8]
Previous results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Gareth Ward | 20,316 | 38.79 | +38.79 | |
| Labor | Katelin McInerney | 18,010 | 34.39 | +6.19 | |
| Liberal | Melanie Gibbons | 6,301 | 12.03 | −41.56 | |
| Greens | Tonia Gray | 5,833 | 11.14 | −0.74 | |
| Sustainable Australia | John Gill | 1,911 | 3.65 | +0.73 | |
| Total formal votes | 52,371 | 96.90 | +0.07 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,678 | 3.10 | −0.07 | ||
| Turnout | 54,049 | 89.82 | −1.28 | ||
| Notional two-party-preferred count | |||||
| Labor | Katelin McInerney | 24,564 | 69.73 | +31.74 | |
| Liberal | Melanie Gibbons | 10,665 | 30.27 | −31.74 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Independent | Gareth Ward | 23,018 | 50.76 | +50.76 | |
| Labor | Katelin McInerney | 22,329 | 49.24 | +11.25 | |
| Member changed to Independent from Liberal | |||||
Key dates
Some important dates for this by-election included:[12]
- 14 August 2025 — Postal vote applications opened
- 22 August 2025 — The writ was issued
- 22 August 2025 — Electoral rolls closed
- 22 August 2025 — Candidate nominations opened
- 28 August 2025 — Candidate nominations closed
- 29 August 2025 — Candidates were announced
- 6 September 2025 — Early voting commenced
- 6 September 2025 — Telephone-assisted voting opened
- 12 September 2025 — Early voting closed
- 12 September 2025 — Telephone-assisted voting applications closed
- 13 September 2025 — Election day from 8 am to 6 pm
- 13 September 2025 — Telephone-assisted voting closed
- 30 September 2025 — Distribution of preferences
- 1 October 2025 — Results are declared
- 3–21 October 2025 — Return of writ
Candidates
13 candidates stood in the election.[4] The table below shows candidates according to the NSW Electoral Commission, listed in the order they appeared on the ballot.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greens | Tonia Gray[13] | Former City of Shoalhaven councillor and candidate for Kiama in 2023 | |
| Liberal | Serena Copley[14] | Trainer and former City of Shoalhaven councillor | |
| Independent | Andrew Thaler[13][15] | Snowy Monaro Regional councillor and perennial candidate. | |
| Independent | Roger Woodward[12] | Accountant and candidate for Berowra in the 2025 federal election and Hornsby in 2024 | |
| Legalise Cannabis | Don Fuggle[16] | Activist | |
| Sustainable Australia | Ken Davis[17] | Mental health professional | |
| Independent | Lisa Cotton[18][12] | Community advocate | |
| Independent | Cyrille Jeufo Keuheu[19] | IT developer | |
| Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Felix Nelson[13] | Land manager and Army veteran | |
| Libertarian | Joshua Beer[20] | Liberal candidate for Lake Macquarie in 2023 | |
| Animal Justice | Ellie Robertson[12] | Perennial candidate | |
| Independent | Kate Dezarnaulds[21] | Small business owner and candidate for Gilmore in the 2025 federal election | |
| Labor | Katelin McInerney[22][13] | Journalist and candidate for Kiama in 2023 | |
Family First intended to stand Kyle Napoleoni as the party's candidate, but his nomination was disqualified for not meeting NSW Electoral Commission requirements.[23][13]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Katelin McInerney | 18,622 | 37.32 | +2.93 | |
| Liberal | Serena Copley | 13,226 | 26.51 | +14.48 | |
| Independent | Kate Dezarnaulds | 5,225 | 10.47 | +10.47 | |
| Greens | Tonia Gray | 4,074 | 8.17 | –2.97 | |
| Legalise Cannabis | Don Fuggle | 2,550 | 5.11 | +5.11 | |
| Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Felix Nelson | 2,543 | 5.10 | +5.10 | |
| Libertarian | Joshua Beer | 895 | 1.79 | +1.79 | |
| Independent | Lisa Cotton | 676 | 1.35 | +1.35 | |
| Animal Justice | Ellie Robertson | 622 | 1.25 | +1.25 | |
| Independent | Andrew Thaler | 544 | 1.09 | +1.09 | |
| Independent | Roger Woodward | 429 | 0.86 | +0.86 | |
| Sustainable Australia | Ken Davis | 420 | 0.84 | –2.81 | |
| Independent | Cyrille Jeufo Keuheu | 69 | 0.14 | +0.14 | |
| Total formal votes | 49,895 | 96.16 | −0.74 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,995 | 3.84 | +0.74 | ||
| Turnout | 51,890 | 83.04 | −6.78 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Katelin McInerney | 23,313 | 60.19 | –9.54 | |
| Liberal | Serena Copley | 15,421 | 39.81 | +9.54 | |
| Labor gain from Independent | Swing | –9.54 | |||