Letter to the Editor

In politics, disagreements are natural, debate is necessary, and differences of opinion drive progress. But there's one thing we should all be able to agree on: honesty and respect must be at the foundation of our discourse. Unfortunately, recent statements made by Gareth Ward fall short of this standard, spreading misinformation and creating an atmosphere of distrust. This isn’t just an issue of political rivalry—it’s about upholding the dignity of our democratic process and respecting the public we serve.

In a recent release Mr Ward indicated that I am attempting to re-write history regarding the Jamberoo dog park, following comments the day prior referring to me as someone who is ‘irrelevant’ and ‘claims to be the Labor spokesperson for Kiama’.

This is not the first time Mr Ward has attempted to discredit me, in February this year he referred to me as someone who is ‘allegedly a Member of Parliament’.

As a Member of the Legislative Council, and Member of the Minns Labor Government, I have been appointed to the role of Labor Spokesperson for Kiama. My job in this role is to provide a conduit for information directly into the Government from the people of Kiama, and straight from the Government to the Kiama community. This role is a supplementary opportunity for two-way communication between the people of Kiama and the Government and is necessarily different to the role of Mr Ward who is not a member of the Government.

It is through this role that I have been engaging with Councillor Stuart Larkins around a dog park for Kiama. Councillor Larkins has been advocating for this dog park since 2022 through motions and petitions he has presented to Council. He has also worked with Council since then to make this dog park a reality. In June this year he was pleased to move the motion for the draft Dog Friendly Spaces Strategy, which outlined that Council would use their grant funding for the Jamberoo Dog Park.

This funding was recently signed off by the NSW Government. I was pleased to work with Minister Scully and Stuart to ensure this fantastic news was shared with the Kiama Community.

My focus is keeping the people of Kiama across what the Minns Labor government is doing.

Mr Ward’s comments are discourteous and disrespectful and this is not how we should be conducting politics. As a professional woman of my age it is not the first time a man has tried to undermine me by saying that I am irrelevant or incorrect. So this won’t deter me from doing my job.

However, our communities are best served when we, as public officials, communicate openly, transparently, and accurately. The words of public officials have weight, and it is our responsibility to ensure they reflect truth and respect. I am calling on Mr Ward to commit to an honest dialogue and to cease sharing false or misleading statements. The people of Kiama and NSW deserve information they can trust, not convenient spin designed to sow division or distrust.

Political differences should be resolved through respectful debate, grounded in facts. Mistruths have no place in this dialogue—they only sideline the issues, distort the facts, and further polarise our community. By returning to a respectful and fact-based conversation, we not only honour the truth but also show that we value the intelligence and trust of our constituents.

This is not about avoiding criticism or expecting agreement. Vigorous debate strengthens our democracy, and the scrutiny that comes with public office is a necessary part of the job. But for it to be meaningful, for it to benefit the people we represent, it must be based on facts.

Let us take this opportunity to refocus on what truly matters to our community and bring respect and integrity back to our political exchanges.

The Hon. Dr Sarah Kaine MLC

Member of the Legislative Council

Government Spokesperson for Kiama