Ahead of his return to State Parliament tomorrow (9 May), Gareth Ward MP has reflected on what it means to him.

"It is an enormous privilege and honour to be returned to the NSW Parliament to represent our community and continue to fight hard and deliver on the principles and issues that matter to our region," he says.

"Every time I walk through the front door of Parliament House, I pinch myself. I am still just as committed and determined to serving our community as I was on day one of being your State MP."

Mr Ward spent the last year of his previous term suspended from Parliament - meaning he was unable to speak or vote, or even enter the building - following him being charged with three counts of assault with act of indecency, and one count each of sexual intercourse without consent and common assault. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which will be heard in April 2024.

Prior to the election, the leaders of both parties said they would call for his suspension again, should he be elected.

The new Premier, Chris Minns, says the matter will again be decided by the Privileges Committee. It is unclear how long this process will take.

Ignoring our questions about this situation, Mr Ward says his principle focuses in this term will be making sure the Kiama electorate gets its fair share of the infrastructure budget and holding the Government to account through his contribution to debates.

Re-elected as an Independent, rather than previously as a Liberal, he says, "The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realised that the answer to our problems doesn’t need a ‘Liberal solution’ or a ‘Labor solution’, we simply need to focus on what is the right solution.

"This parliament has the opportunity to re-set the agenda and re-calibrate our democratic standards to encourage cooperation, bi-partisanism and collaboration that builds a more inclusive, resilient and confident State."

Mr Ward reports he has already been busily in contact with ministers about local issues and election commitments, and has indicated his in-principle support for lifting the labour expenses cap for front-line public service workers such as nurses, police, ambos, teachers and firefighters.

Mr Ward in campaign mode with his mother and niece

He is also supportive of enshrining Sydney Water in the NSW Constitution, to prevent its privatisation.

Keen to start work, he will be delivering his first Private Members Statement on Wednesday.

"I will [also] be placing a number of Questions on Notice to Ministers on a range of important local issues and I will also be presenting a series of Community Recognition Statements on everything from acknowledging participants and organisers of local ANZAC Day events through to highlighting the success of local young sporting stars," says Mr Ward.

"I will also be giving notice of a Bill on a local planning issue, but I will have more to say about that shortly. It’s likely that my bill will be the first non-government bill heard in this parliament."