James Hayward (politician)

James Dorrin Hayward is an Australian former politician. Elected as a Nationals member of the Western Australian Legislative Council at the 2021 Western Australian state election, he resigned from the party on 3 December 2021 after being charged with child sex offences, and was ultimately disqualified on 28 August 2023 after being convicted, although his conviction was later quashed. Hayward was the first person since John Marquis Hopkins in 1910 to be removed in this way.

From 19 April until 3 December 2021, he served as Shadow Minister for Local Government, Water and Regional Cities. In 2022, he served on a committee inquiring into cannabis and hemp.

On 28 August 2023, Hayward was found guilty of sexually abusing a young girl. His conviction for a crime with a maximum sentence of at least five years in jail meant he was automatically disqualified from parliament. On 16 October 2023, Hayward was sentenced to two years and nine months jail, needing to serve half of that before becoming eligible for parole. In October 2024, he was released on bail pending the determination of an appeal against his conviction. In January 2025, the Court of Appeal allowed his appeal and ordered a retrial, however, in March 2025, the Director of Public Prosecutions elected not to proceed with the prosecution.