One-time lawmaker convicted of attacking two victims connected through his position was given to 69 months in detention.
The defendant, 44, has been in custody since last summer after judicial panel convicted him of attacking one man and indecently assaulting another, in separate incidents in 2013 then 2015.
The defendant acted for the seaside community of Kiama in the NSW parliament from the year 2011. He stepped down as a Liberal Party official when accusations emerged in 2021 but resisted resigning from his seat and returned to office in last year.
Judge the court official took into account Ward's disability of legal blindness in the judgment and determined "no different consequence besides detention could be considered".
The convicted individual, who participated via video-link at the judicial venue, will undergo at least nearly four years in detention before he can seek conditional freedom.
The court official declared the judicial system needs to "issue a clear statement to potential criminals that illegal behaviors of this nature will be met with significant consequences".
She also said the defendant had "evaded consequences for ten years and experienced freedom without a rehabilitation program or punishment for his crimes during those years".
Post-trial, the politician initiated a unsuccessful court challenge to continue in his position and stepped down just prior to the members could expel him.
Representatives has stated earlier he intends to contest the guilty verdict.
Ward's lengthy proceedings in the judicial venue was told that he invited a drunk young adult to his home in 2013 and indecently assaulted him on multiple occasions, despite his attempts to resist.
Two years later, he raped a mid-twenties office worker at his residence after a gathering at government offices.
Ward had claimed the 2015 rape was fabricated, and that the additional accuser was inaccurate regarding their encounter from the first incident.
However, prosecutors argued that notable parallels in the accounts of the individuals, who did not know one another, proved they were being honest.
The panel deliberated for three days before returning the guilty verdicts.
His departure caused a by-election in his constituency in September, which was claimed by the challenger.
Cybersecurity analyst with a passion for ethical hacking and educating others on digital safety.
