Stuart Ayres

Personal life

Ayres was born to a father serving in the Australian Defence Force which resulted in his moving all over the country until settling in Penrith in 1993. He was educated at St Dominic's College in Kingswood. He is the partner of federal Liberal Senator Marise Payne.

Early career

Ayres graduated in 1999 with a degree in sports business from the Australian College of Physical Education and worked as a development officer for the Australian Football League before joining the staff of the member for Lindsay, Jackie Kelly, in her capacity as the then Minister for Sport and Tourism and the Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Ayres was an account executive for Austereo (2DayFM and Triple M radio stations), and returned to the Australian College of Physical Education in 2008, initially as student recruitment manager and then later as director of marketing and business development.

Ayres has been heavily involved in the administration of local sport in Western Sydney where he has been a board member of the Penrith Australian Football Club for 10 years and was also the founding secretary of the Penrith Valley Sports Foundation.

New South Wales state political career

Ayres was elected at the Penrith State by-election on 19 June 2010, receiving 66.3% of the two-party-preferred vote. Ayres took the previously safe Labor seat on a 25.7-point swing—the largest swing against a sitting government in New South Wales history. This turned Penrith into a safe Liberal seat at one stroke. Indeed, Ayres' primary-vote margin was enough to win the seat without the need for preferences. Like his partner Marise Payne, Ayres is a republican. In his maiden speech to parliament he voiced his support for Australia to have an Australian head of state and become a republic.

Following his re-election in March 2011, Ayres was elected to the position of deputy government whip in the NSW Legislative Assembly. Since then, he was promoted to Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport and appointed as the Premier's Parliamentary Secretary for Western Sydney. In December 2013, Ayres was appointed as the Minister for Fair Trading and as the Minister Assisting the Premier on Western Sydney. Due to the resignation of Barry O'Farrell as Premier, and the subsequent ministerial reshuffle by Mike Baird, the new Liberal Leader, in April 2014 in addition to his existing ministerial responsibilities, Ayres was appointed Minister for Sport and Recreation, and appointed as a member of Cabinet. Following the resignation of Mike Gallacher in May 2014, Ayres gained the portfolio of Police and Emergency Services and lost the portfolio of Fair Trading. Following the 2015 state election, Ayres was sworn in as the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and the Minister for Sport on 2 April 2015 as a member of the second Baird government. In the Berejiklian ministry, Ayres was appointed as the Minister for Western Sydney, the Minister for WestConnex, and the Minister for Sport, with effect from 30 January 2017.