Ward was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1931 East Sydney by-election in the midst of the Great Depression and the rise to prominence of NSW's Labor Premier Jack Lang, whose policies for dealing with the depression were considered radically left wing.
Ward was a Lang supporter and gained notoriety soon after his election when Prime Minister and ALP leader James Scullin refused to allow Ward into the ALP caucus.
 In response, Ward joined Jack Beasley and three other Lang supporters in forming the "Australian Labor Party (NSW)," popularly known as "Lang Labor."
Eight months later, Ward and the other Lang Labor members voted with the opposition on a no-confidence motion to bring down the Scullin government.

Ward lost his seat later that year to the United Australia Party at the federal election.
The Labor vote was split between Ward and official ALP candidate George Buckland.
On the second count, just over half of Buckland's preferences flowed to UAP candidate John Clasby, allowing Clasby to win.
As luck would have it, Clasby died less than a month after the election before he even took his seat in parliament.
At the ensuing February 1932 by-election, Ward reclaimed the seat, again as a Lang Labor candidate.

Ward remained in Lang Labor until 1936, when he returned to the ALP.
Nevertheless, he would continue to have a prickly relationship with many of his Labor colleagues for the rest of his life.

One such issue that set Ward apart from his parliamentary colleagues was his opposition to any form of defence spending.
 During the 1936 budget debate, he argued that any funding earmarked for defence would be better spent on welfare and unemployment relief.
 In reference to a move to increase the size of the Royal Australian Navy, Ward said:
I wonder if such vessels are really needed for the defence of Australia, or whether they are not required for the purpose of helping other peoples defend rich possessions in other parts of the world.

Although in retrospect, Ward's opposition to defence spending appears foolhardy in view of what would occur in the following years, his stance did reflect the thinking of many Australians at the time.
Ward was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1931 East Sydney by-election in the midst of the Great Depression and the rise to prominence of NSW's Labor Premier Jack Lang, whose policies for dealing with the depression were considered radically left wing. Ward was a Lang supporter and gained notoriety soon after his election when Prime Minister and ALP leader James Scullin refused to allow Ward into the ALP caucus.  In response, Ward joined Jack Beasley and three other Lang supporters in forming the "Australian Labor Party (NSW)," popularly known as "Lang Labor." Eight months later, Ward and the other Lang Labor members voted with the opposition on a no-confidence motion to bring down the Scullin government.
Ward lost his seat later that year to the United Australia Party at the federal election. The Labor vote was split between Ward and official ALP candidate George Buckland. On the second count, just over half of Buckland's preferences flowed to UAP candidate John Clasby, allowing Clasby to win. As luck would have it, Clasby died less than a month after the election before he even took his seat in parliament. At the ensuing February 1932 by-election, Ward reclaimed the seat, again as a Lang Labor candidate.
Ward remained in Lang Labor until 1936, when he returned to the ALP. Nevertheless, he would continue to have a prickly relationship with many of his Labor colleagues for the rest of his life.
One such issue that set Ward apart from his parliamentary colleagues was his opposition to any form of defence spending.  During the 1936 budget debate, he argued that any funding earmarked for defence would be better spent on welfare and unemployment relief.  In reference to a move to increase the size of the Royal Australian Navy, Ward said:
I wonder if such vessels are really needed for the defence of Australia, or whether they are not required for the purpose of helping other peoples defend rich possessions in other parts of the world.
Although in retrospect, Ward's opposition to defence spending appears foolhardy in view of what would occur in the following years, his stance did reflect the thinking of many Australians at the time.
Eddie Ward