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Voters will head to the polls in the NSW south coast seat on Saturday following the last-minute resignation of long-time independent MP Gareth Ward.

Ward resigned only hours before a motion was due to be debated in NSW parliament to have him expelled following a conviction for rape and indecent assault.

Mingling with schoolchildren and feeding lambs at Bomaderry High School on Friday, the Premier rebuffed any prediction of Labor’s chances when polls open.

“We’re taking nothing for granted,” Mr Minns said on Friday.

“My sense is that it’s going to be a close election. Every bit of information that I’ve got, my being on the ground here talking to voters, is that they’re weighing up their (options).”

Mr Minns praised Labor’s candidate for Kiama, Katelin McInerney, who was narrowly defeated by Ward in 2023, as being “passionate about her community”.

“We’re going to leave it up to the voters to make a decision about who they want to be their local representative, but it’s hard to walk past someone like Katelin.

Mr Minns went on to add: “She’s incredibly tough, is not a pushover, will hold us to account, but also has some wonderful qualities, particularly kindness.”

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s vote, Mr Minns said one thing the ballot had “categorically done” was “ruled a line under (Ward’s) time period in office”.

“It’s about the future, and you’ve all written about and spoken at length about how we got here, but now it’s about turning the page,” Mr Minns told reporters.

“Who is best placed to deliver for this community come Sunday morning.”

Asked about Liberal leader Mark Speakman’s chances of survival should the Liberals fail to win on Saturday, Mr Minns said: “It’s hard for me to know”.

“I’ll just leave it up to the Liberal Party. Probably, out of the millions of people that live in NSW, I’m the last person you should ask because, well, we’ve got a dog in the hunt.”

Pressed on the question, Mr Minns said “I’d be putting the cart before the horse”.

Lambs, cows, and the ‘underdog’

Mr Minns has regularly billed Labor as the underdog in the Kiama by-election.

But, he seemed well at-ease with Ms McInerney and the students at Bomaderry High School, touring the school’s farm, including feeding a few young lambs.

Acting Education Minister Courtney Houssos said the $41m upgrade would refurbish 46 classrooms, and a new technical and applied studies building.

“This was first promised in 2021 by the Liberals, and it’s only our government that’s actually got the project on track, and now is delivering it ahead of schedule,” she said.

Ms McInerney, whose own child is about to start school, said the upgrades were needed.

“The observation that was made to me was this is a government that has come in and listened,” Mr McInerney told reporters on Friday morning.

“That has noticed a need in a community that, quite frankly, had missed out for a very long time under the previous member and the previous government.

“These are upgrades that have been needed for a while, and I’m really proud to be standing as part of the Minns’ Labor government who are getting on with the job.”

The Liberal Party are expected to hold their own press conference later on Friday.