President of the Legislative Council Matthew Ryan Mason Cox told parliament on Wednesday Mr Harwin had handed his resignation to Governor Margaret Beazley.
"Her excellency the governor received and accepted the resignation of the honourable Don Harwin MLC as a member of the Legislative Council of NSW," he said.
"Her excellency anticipates that the premier will, in due course, recommend that she send a message to both houses with a view to calling a joint sitting to filling the vacancy."
His resignation comes a day after former Liberal minister Gareth Ward was charged with the sexual abuse of a teenage boy and a man, prompting Premier Dominic Perrottet to call for his resignation.
Mr Harwin, 57, entered parliament in March 1999 and was previously the minister for arts, resources and energy and utilities under Gladys Berejiklian's government.Â
He was fined $1000 and stood down as arts minister in April 2020 after he left his home in Sydney to travel to his Central Coast holiday house, defying government imposed travel restrictions during a COVID-19 lockdown.
He was later reinstated as the arts minister in July 2020, and his fine was withdrawn in court.
AAP has contacted Mr Harwin's office.
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