{{Short description|Politician in New South Wales, Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Clayton Barr | honorific_suffix = MP | image = File:Mr Clayton Gordon BARR.jpg | constituency_AM = Cessnock | assembly = New South Wales Legislative | term_start = 26 March 2011 | term_end = | predecessor = Kerry Hickey | successor = | office1 = Shadow Minister for Finance, Services and Property | term_start1 = 9 April 2015 | term_end1 = 3 July 2019 | leader1 = Luke Foley<br>Michael Daley | predecessor1 = Peter Primrose | successor1 = Daniel Mookhey | office2 = Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science and Tertiary Education | term_start2 = 3 July 2019 | term_end2 = 11 June 2021 | leader2 = Jodi McKay | predecessor2 = Yasmin Catley | successor2 = Courtney Houssos<br>(Innovation)<br>Tim Crakanthorp<br>(Tertiary Education) | office3 = Shadow Minister for the Hunter | term_start3 = 3 July 2019 | term_end3 = 11 June 2021 | leader3 = Jodi McKay | predecessor3 = Kate Washington | successor3 = Yasmin Catley | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1971}} | birth_place = Cessnock, New South Wales | death_date = | death_place = | party = Labor Party | relations = | occupation = School teacher<br/>local government administration | alma_mater = University of Newcastle | website = {{URL|https://www.claytonbarr.com.au/}} | footnotes = }} '''Clayton Gordon Barr''' (born 1971) is an Australian politician who was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Cessnock for the Labor Party at the 2011 state election. Before entering parliament he had a career as a secondary education teacher and an employee of the children's cancer charity Canteen, and worked in local government administration.<ref name="Inaugural">{{cite web |last1=Barr |first1=Clayton |title=Clayton Barr Inaugural Speech |url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/member/files/60/Clayton%20Barr%20Inaugural%20Speech.pdf |website=Parliament of NSW |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>
==Background and education== Barr was born in Cessnock, New South Wales to Margaret and Gordon Barr. The youngest of four, Barr spent his early years in Cessnock and completed his secondary education at All Saints College, Maitland.<ref name="Inaugural"/>
Barr then matriculated to the University of Newcastle, where he studied in the Faculty of Education and Arts, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Education in Physical Education and Health.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Faculty Profiles: Clayton Barr |journal=University of Newcastle Alumni Magazine |date=2011 |issue=3 |page=26 |url=https://issuu.com/universityofnewcastle/docs/alumni-2011-3 |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref> He taught in the PDHPE faculty at Mount View High School for nine years, before seeking a change in vocation where he became a manager at the young people's cancer charity, Canteen.
In the 18 months before his election to the Legislative Assembly, Barr was a community and recreational facilities planner at Port Stephens Council.<ref name="Inaugural"/>
Barr is married to Lisa and has four children. He is a keen water poloist and for 15 years was a committee member of Cessnock Water Polo Club and a member of the Newcastle Water Polo Executive.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
==Political career== In the lead-up to the 2011 state election, Barr received a threat in the mail aimed at his pregnant wife and children. His wife opened the letter which said: "Clay pulls out or I start shooting kids." Barr reported the threat to the NSW Police.<ref>{{cite news|last=Clennell|first=Andrew|title=Threat to murder NSW Labor MP Clayton Barr's children and pregnant wife|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/threat-to-murder-mps-children/story-e6freuzr-1225996483836|accessdate=3 April 2011|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 January 2011 |publisher=News Limited}}</ref> Despite this attempt to have him withdraw his candidacy, Barr was elected as the state member for Cessnock in 2011, despite an 8.1-point swing to the New South Wales Nationals candidate.
He was preselected again as the Labor candidate for Cessnock for the 2015 New South Wales state election, winning the seat with a two-party-preferred 72.0%.<ref>{{cite web |title=NSW State Election Results 2015: Cessnock |url=https://pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/SGE2015/la/cessnock/tcp/tool/index.htm |website=NSW Electoral Commission |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>
In April 2015 Barr was appointed to the Shadow Ministry of Luke Foley as the Shadow Minister for Finance, Services and Property, where he was responsible for analysing the NSW government's policy proposals concerning government finances, major public works and maintenance programs, government procurement, and information and communications technology.<ref name="Barr NSW parl">{{cite NSW Parliament |name=Mr Clayton Gordon BARR, BEd MP |id=60 |former= |access-date=4 April 2019}}</ref>
At the 2019 New South Wales state election, Barr again contested the seat of Cessnock for Labor. Despite measuring a small swing against him, Barr won the seat with two-party-preferred 69.3%.<ref>{{cite web |title=NSW State Election Results 2019: Cessnock |url=https://pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/SG1901/LA/Cessnock/TCP |website=NSW Electoral Commission |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref> Following the elevation of Jodi McKay to the position of Leader of the Opposition in June 2019, Barr was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science and Tertiary Education, Shadow Minister for the Hunter and the Shadow Minister for Water.<ref name="Barr NSW parl"/>
He held these positions until June 2021, when he was demoted to the backbench by the newly appointed Leader of the Opposition Chris Minns as a result of factional disagreements.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parris |first1=Michael |title=Cessnock MP Clayton Barr questions sacking from Chris Minns' Labor frontbench |url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7294911/cessnock-mp-questions-motives-for-labor-frontbench-sacking/ |website=The Newcastle Herald |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{s-start}} {{s-par|au-nsw-la}} {{s-bef|before=Kerry Hickey}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Cessnock|years=2011–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, Clayton}} Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:Living people Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:University of Newcastle (Australia) alumni Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:1971 births Category:People from Cessnock, New South Wales