Steven Chaytor

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Steven Chaytor
State Member for Macquarie Fields
In office 2005 – 2007
Preceded by	Craig Knowles
Succeeded by	Andrew McDonald

Born
Constituency	Macquarie Fields
Political party	Australian Labor Party

Steven John Chaytor is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2007, representing the southwest Sydney electorate of Macquarie Fields.

Chaytor was educated at St Gregory's College in Campbelltown and the University of Technology, Sydney, where he completed degrees in international studies and law. He worked as a solicitor and advisor to former Prime Minister of Australia Gough Whitlam, and first entered local politics in 1999, when he was elected to the Campbelltown City Council.

Chaytor was widely expected as a favourite to enter federal politics when Mark Latham resigned as the member for the safe seat of Werriwa in 2005. However, after a messy pre-selection battle with Campbelltown Mayor Brenton Banfield over who would run in the resulting by-election, Chaytor lost out to compromise candidate Chris Hayes. There was little challenge possible, however, when Chaytor was nominated several months later to replace Craig Knowles in a by-election for his safe state seat of Macquarie Fields. Though he was challenged by whistleblower nurse Nola Fraser, Chaytor survived a strong swing to the Liberal Party of Australia to win the seat.

[edit] Assault conviction

On Wednesday 20th December 2006 Chaytor made a statement revealing that he had been charged with assault. NSW Police allege that Chaytor assaulted his partner on December 10th.^[1] However he claimed that he was attempting to prevent his partner from self-harm.^[2] The NSW Premier Morris Iemma sought to suspend Chaytor's membership of the Australian Labor Party.^[3]

The case was heard on January 15 at Campbelltown Local Court. Chaytor was found guilty of assault on January 19.^[4] NSW Premier Morris Iemma announced shortly after that he was to be expelled from the Labor Party and a new candidate found for the coming state election.

In reference to the case Magistrate Robert Rabbidge stated "I find that the accused pushed Ms Njoo and kicked her," he said. Magistrate Rabbidge is also reported to have said that Chaytor is a man who could be violent and angry on occasion, but said the assault seemed to be out of character: "Mr Chaytor is quite clearly an outstanding citizen."^[5]

Iemma had a different view: "He has got no part to play in my Government. I don't want to sit in the Parliament with someone who hits a woman. It is an act of cowardice," he said.

The Sydney Morning Herald greeted Chaytor's conviction with the headline "Labor: the guilty party", an echo of the Liberal campaign slogan used against the scandal-plagued Labor government in Victoria in 1992.^[6]

Following Chaytor's expulsion from the ALP, the party selected Andrew McDonald, a local paediatrician, as its candidate for the State election on 24 March 2007. McDonald was subsequently elected with 61% of the two-party-preferred vote - a similar margin to the previous 2005 byelection.