This week, The Bugle sat down with Independent Member for Kiama Gareth Ward to discuss what he sees as the biggest issues for the electorate. While the Kiama electorate covers three distinct councils with their own priorities and challenges, Gareth said there is one issue that’s the same everywhere he goes: the cost of living crisis.

It should be no surprise that Gareth wants the Labor Government to do a lot more to assist those in need, and that it's actually going backwards.

“There’s no doubt that people are becoming more and more frustrated, particularly with some of the decisions of this government because in opposition, the then Opposition Leader, now Premier, said he would support a lot of the cost of living measures that he’s now sought to cut.”

One of those cuts is the Senior Regional Travel Card. The card offered seniors $250 each year to spend on transport, but the Labor Government announced in August 2023 that it would no longer issue any new cards.

“The government is just lying, saying ‘Oh we’ve paused it’. Well you paused it without giving a start date on when it will be recommenced again. I know a lot of people that [the card] really helped them with their costs throughout the year. The reality is a lot of people have to drive, so a lot of people used it for petrol, and others used it to top up their carer’s cars, so that’s hitting hard.”

Gareth says his petition to save the Regional Senior Travel Card has received more than 7000 signatures so far. 

“They’re not just cutting cost of living programs, they’re cutting cost of living programs they've committed to keeping. If you make a promise, you’ve got to keep it. Particularly for the most vulnerable, I think the attitude of the Labor Party is that all these people that are experiencing difficulties, a lot of them will vote for us anyway. I don't think they should so arrogantly assume that. I think people want honesty and transparency, and if you go to an election and say you’re going to do something, you should do it.”

The cost of living crisis obviously impacts more than regional travel though. The ever-increasing price of housing is a serious concern for Gareth, especially when it comes to the current generation of first-home buyers.

There are a lot of young people that would like to live here but can’t,” Gareth says. “I think as a community, we need to have a conversation around where development can occur, how we want it to occur and how we can get the balance right between protecting what’s unique, but also ensuring that people can afford to live in our community. 

“Housing supply doesn’t just benefit homeownership, it also addresses renters and ensuring that people can afford to rent in communities on lower incomes is very important, particularly if you want nurses, teachers and police living in the areas they serve.

This will be crucial in the next few years in our electorate, according to Gareth, as the hospitals in Nowra and Shellharbour are set to expand. Gareth says the Shoalhaven Hospital has a critical services plan that includes an additional 800 staff.

“Where are they going to live? The government hasn’t talked about that at all. It’s not just these new shiny hospitals that ministers get to snap a ribbon with a set of novelty scissors for a Facebook photo, you actually have people who work there.”

Gareth says he’s already floated the idea of turning the old Shellharbour Hospital into key worker housing once it’s decommissioned.

Gareth says there’s also been a few wins when it comes to easing the cost of living, including working with Ryan Park, the Labor Minister for Health, Regional Health, and the Illawarra and South Coast, to provide free parking at Shoalhaven Hospital.

Gareth says he’s actually had very few challenges working with the rest of the Ministers in the NSW Government from both Labour and the Coalition, despite the obvious challenges with Premier Chris Minns. The Premier decided to take any questions Gareth makes on the floor of parliament on notice, rather than answer them directly. 

“The reality is that the same process that elected me elected him. It’s appalling in a democracy where people have made a choice and he believes he’s higher and mightier than the rest of us, which is obviously not true,” says Gareth.

“He does answer my questions, he answers them on notice. I suspect he does that more for any other reason that he actually has a challenge in answering some of these questions.”

Looking ahead, Gareth says he will continue in his role of holding the Government accountable from his position as an Independent Member.

“The one thing I hear more and more from people is that they just don’t see politicians delivering what they say they will. They put out leaflets and flyers and they don’t deliver,” says Gareth.

“I think the people of our electorate made a very deliberate decision to elect me because what they’re looking for is someone who can have a say in the legislative process that can get policy outcomes on a range of issues, but is also experienced enough to be able to make sure we keep on delivering the things that matter. Often a lot of the things that matter to people are things like smaller grants, and for years I’ve helped people with those smaller grants and I’ll continue to do that.”