The NSW Liberal party has endorsed candidates for all Illawarra electorates as nominations close.
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On Tuesday night it was revealed that dumped Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons would run for the seat of Kiama, after former Liberal MP Gareth Ward was kicked out of the party and decided to run as an independent.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said he had picked Ms Gibbons to take on Mr Ward.
"I asked her to run as I know not only does she have longstanding ties to the community but she is also a dedicated and very experienced representative," he said.
A Liberal party spokesperson confirmed that the party had endorsed candidates for the seats of Wollongong, Shellharbour and Keira, which did not have a Liberal or National candidate.
Joining Ms Gibbons are three untested candidates.
Joel Johnson will be take a tilt at the seat of Wollongong, the second safest for Labor in NSW. Mr Johnson is the current president of the UOW Liberal Party, an electorate officer at the office of Attorney General Mark Speakman and describes himself as a "modern liberal" on his Twitter bio.
Mikayla Barnes has nominated for Anna Watson's seat of Shellharbour. Ms Barnes is a former president of the UOW Liberal Club and currently works as a part-time marketing and public relations coordinator, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In the running for Keira is Noah Shipp, who as a Year 12 student was part of the Bulli High School leadership team in 2022. He kicked off his election campaign on Instagram as seen in the video below.
Heathcote Liberal MP Lee Evans has been campaigning to retain his seat after a boundary redistribution shifted the seat south to take in more of the northern suburbs of the Illawarra.
The NSW Electoral Commission will formally reveal candidates and the order in which they appear on the ballot on Thursday.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward said he welcomed his opponent.
"I welcome all comers to what is a democratic contest," he said. "No one person or party 'owns' a seat in Parliament and I trust the judgement of our local people."
Mr Ward holds the seat by a 12 per cent margin, but is facing a challenge from his old party, as well as Katelin McInerney representing Labor and Tonia Gray from the Greens.
Both Premier Dominic Perrottet and opposition leader Chris Minns have said that they would continue to prohibit Mr Ward from being present in parliament, after he was barred from parliament after police laid criminal charges of sexual abuse on him.
Mr Ward has denied the allegations, with the next court hearing scheduled for after the election.
"I've always said the allegations against me were politically motivated," Mr Ward said. "The fact that my political opponents are taking full advantage of these untested allegations tells you everything you need to know about them."
On Wednesday, south coast union boss Arthur Rorris said Mr Ward should withdraw his nomination, as he was not able to represent the community in parliament.
"If Gareth gets over the line, he won't get into parliament," Mr Rorris said. "He won't vote, speak to motions, support our nurses.
"Sure, he might be able to speak from and follow proceedings from the parking lot like the rest of us. That's it. We don't need a spectator. These workers depend on a voice for Kiama, not someone on mute, permanently."
Mr Ward said that the suggestions he shouldn't run was "trashing the presumption of innocence for political reasons".
"Mr Rorris has a vote in the Wollongong electorate. He should leave decisions about our electorate to Kiama voters," he said.
"I trust them and their judgement."
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