NSW Premier Chris Minns and Katelin McInerney with supporters at a polling centre on Saturday. Photo: Supplied.
Katelin McInerney has paid tribute to her community after she romped in to easily win Saturday’s Kiama byelection.
At the close of counting on Saturday night, the former journalist and union leader had about 60 per cent of the primary vote ahead of Liberal candidate Serena Copley.
Kiama’s previous MP Gareth Ward resigned after he was found guilty of sexual assault charges and threatened with expulsion from NSW Parliament.
He first claimed the seat in 2011, which had been held by Labor since it was created in 1981.
He was re-elected in 2015 and 2019 and resigned from the Liberal Party in 2020 after being charged with the sexual offences for which he was eventually convicted.
Mr Ward was re-elected as an independent in 2023 despite the charges hanging over his head.
At her victory party at the Albion Park Bowling Club, Ms McInerney told her supporters that she had put her hand up to run because she loved the Kiama community.
The daughter of a journalist and public high school teacher, Ms McInerney was raised in Kiama and becomes the first woman to hold the state seat.
“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,” she said.
“I just want to say I thank them deeply for putting their faith and their trust and their confidence in me and in the NSW Minns Labor government.
“Whoever you’ve supported in the past, whoever you chose to support today, it doesn’t matter. I will be a strong advocate and a strong voice in the NSW parliament on your behalf, representing this community every day.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns congratulated Ms McInerney on Saturday night and thanked the electorate for putting its trust in the Labor party, which now holds all of the Illawarra and South Coast seats.
“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.
“We promised if Katelin was elected, the people of Kiama would have a strong local voice inside government, fighting for better schools, better hospitals, and the infrastructure the community deserves.
“Kiama now has that voice inside government, and I know Katelin will be a fierce advocate for her community.
“I also acknowledge the strong vote for minor parties and independents, and we take seriously the message from voters that we need to do better.
“We will keep working every day to deliver for this community and for the whole of NSW.
“We know we have more work to do – we’ll continue to work to deliver a fairer NSW – rebuilding essential services, reinvesting in frontline workers and building a better NSW for all.”
