EXCLUSIVE
A former New South Wales Liberal MP accused of rape and assault has denied claims he actively campaigned for a Sydney candidate who was being investigated over child sexual abuse allegations.
Liberal-turned-independent MP Gareth Ward has slammed resurfaced claims he called the party’s state executive to ensure his former colleague Rory Amon was the sole candidate for the Pittwater seat ahead of the March 2023 election.
On Friday, Amon resigned from his Northern Beaches seat after being charged with 10 sexual offences against a boy he knew in Mona Vale in 2017.
Claims that Ward, who was separately charged with five sexual assault-related charges in 2022, actively supported Amon were reported in Nine Newspapers in 2022 and reappeared in print again this weekend and on 2GB on Monday morning.
Radio presenter Ben Fordham said: ‘The Herald reports that former Liberal MP Gareth Ward was calling on people in the party to support Rory Amon in his preselection.’
Ward has now told Daily Mail Australia that she was unaware that such “salacious” claims had been published at the time, but categorically denies them and plans to take legal action.
By the time Amon had indicated he wanted to run for the Pittwater seat after September 2022, Ward had left the NSW Liberal Party and joined the independent backbench amid the fallout from his sexual assault allegations, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
“That claim is nonsense. It’s just a smear campaign. I’m seeking legal advice,” he said.
Rory Amon (pictured) was asked to resign from the NSW Liberal Party on Friday following ten charges of child sexual abuse.
Independent MP Gareth Ward (pictured) has denied helping Amon gain preselection for the Pittwater seat.
Amon expressed his intention to run for preselections when former state MP Robert Stokes announced his retirement in 2022, despite Stokes and New South Wales Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet wanted a woman to run for the post.
NSW Police investigated allegations of child sexual abuse against Amon for two years. He was already under investigation when he was nominated for preselection.
On Mondays, Fordham spoke to ousted NSW Liberal MP Kyle Kutasi, who said: “There was a very fun process that went into that pre-selection to make sure (Amon) was the only candidate.”
‘We went through a six-month period where we didn’t have a candidate in a marginal seat.
‘We were constantly told that it was necessary to reopen nominations because the Prime Minister wanted a female candidate, but when we asked who that was, we never got an answer.’
Mr Kutasi told the Daily Mail that Australia was not aware of any involvement by Ward in the situation, but reiterated his claims that the Liberals wanted Amon to be the sole candidate.
He said there were originally three candidates: one who was dropped, another who forgot to renew his membership and a third who withdrew.
“At each meeting we didn’t have any candidates and they postponed it. They never explained it to us,” he said.
Former NSW Liberal MP Rory Amon is pictured on Sunday as he appears for bail in Dee Why.
Amon (pictured with his bail papers) was charged with assaulting a teenager he knew in Mona Vale in 2017.
A spokesman for the New South Wales Liberal Party denied any knowledge of the charges against Amon before Friday, when he was arrested and charged.
They also denied any “conspiracy” surrounding Amon’s preselection and said he was the only candidate because he was the only one who nominated himself in time.
The NSW Liberals faced criticism in August when it was revealed they had failed to get around 150 candidates to the electoral commission before the deadline.
Amon’s request was one of 300 that were submitted on time, but he complied with a request to resign from his post following Friday’s charges.
They include five counts of having sexual intercourse with a person over 10 and under 14, and two counts of attempting to have sexual intercourse with a child over 10 and under 14.
There were also two charges of indecently assaulting a person under 16 and committing an indecent act with a person under 16.
Pictured: Kyle Kutasi, who claimed the NSW Liberal Party ensured Amon was the only candidate for Pittwater.
His lawyers attempted to ban the media from identifying him and reporting on the allegations, but the application was withdrawn and dismissed in Manly Local Court.
He later issued a statement maintaining his innocence.
“I deny all the charges and will defend my position in court, not in the media. Therefore, I will not make any further comments on the case,” he said.
‘The nature of the charges against me is such that I will no longer be able to fully represent my community in parliament.
‘As a result, I have tendered my resignation as Member for Pittwater, effective immediately.’
On Sunday, he appeared on bail at Dee Why police station just before the 8pm deadline. holding his bail papers and sporting what appeared to be a recent haircut.
His case will return to court on August 30.
