James William Paterson (born 21 November 1987) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Victoria since 2016, representing the Liberal Party. He was appointed to Peter Dutton's shadow ministry following the Coalition's defeat at the 2022 federal election.
James Paterson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senator for Victoria | |
| Assumed office 9 March 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Ronaldson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James William Paterson 21 November 1987 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
Early life
editPaterson was born in Melbourne on 21 November 1987.[1] He attended what he described as a "hippie" school in Melbourne's outer suburbs, and also briefly attended an elementary school in Washington, D.C., USA, while his mother undertook an academic exchange.[2] He completed high school at McKinnon Secondary College.[3]
Paterson completed the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne.[1][4] He worked briefly as a special adviser to Senator Mitch Fifield and for several months as an intern for U.S. congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart.[5] He then worked as a writer for the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) before joining the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) as editor of the IPA Review publication. In the IPA, Paterson was promoted to director of communications and development, before being promoted to deputy executive director in September 2014.[6]
Politics
editPaterson joined the Liberal Party at the age of 17, despite coming from "a Labor or Greens-voting family of long-time trade union members".[2] He was heavily involved in student politics as vice-president of the Melbourne University Liberal Club (2008–2009), vice-president of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation (2008–2009), and state president of the Young Liberals (2009).[1]
In March 2016, the Victorian division of the Liberal Party of Australia nominated Paterson to fill the casual vacancy in the Senate caused by the resignation of Michael Ronaldson.[7] Paterson was appointed by a joint sitting of the Parliament of Victoria on 9 March 2016.[8]
Paterson and fellow MP Andrew Hastie were denied entry into China for a study tour in November 2019.[9] Some believe this is due to criticism the pair has raised about Chinese actions towards the Uighurs in Xinjiang province[10] as well as attempted influencing of opinion about China within Australia.[11] In 2022, Paterson travelled to Washington as the new Australian Co-Chair for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China in 2022; the grouping works to ensure an ascendant Communist China does not shape the decisions and values of the world's democracies.[12]
In 2021, Paterson was elected Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security following Andrew Hastie's appointment as Assistant Minister for Defence.[13]
In 2022, Paterson was appointed the Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and the Shadow Minister for Countering Foreign Interference by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.[14]
In 2023, Paterson was appointed the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and the Shadow Minister for Cyber Security by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.[15]
In 2024, Paterson added Shadow Cabinet Secretary to his portfolio responsibilities.[16]
Political positions
editPaterson is aligned with the national right faction of the Liberal Party.[17][18] Coming from the IPA where he was a fellow, Paterson has been associated with Libertarian elements of Liberal Party, who put a strong emphasis on freedom of speech as well as free markets.[19][20][tone] He has sought reform to section 18C of the Racial Vilification Act 1996 to remove elements that may restrict free speech.[21]
Migrants
editForeign policy
editOn global matters, Paterson has been an advocate for human rights of religious and ethnic minority groups and a strong critic of China.[22][23][tone] Paterson expressed his support of Brexit, and a freedom of movement deal between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (CANZUK).[24][25]
Same-sex marriage
editIn August 2017, Paterson described himself as a supporter of same-sex marriage,[26][improper synthesis?] and during the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey he drafted a same-sex marriage bill as an alternative to one proposed by Senator Dean Smith.[27] He later backed down from putting up a bill.
Personal life
editPaterson met his wife Lydia at a Liberal student function. The couple had two children as of 2021.[3]
Paterson is an agnostic and has described himself as "not religious at all", although his wife is Catholic and his children were baptised as Catholics.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Senator James Paterson". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b Wallace, Rick (8 March 2016). "I don't think my folks will vote for me: Liberal newcomer bucks family history". The Australian. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Stewart, Cameron (8 October 2021). "Wolverine has earned his claws". The Australian. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "About Senator Paterson". senatorpaterson.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Panelist: James Paterson". Q&A. ABC. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ "People: James Paterson". Institute of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ "Michaelia Cash backs talent over gender in preselection, as Paterson is promoted over Hume". ABC News. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ "Mr James Paterson was appointed to the @ausenate seat vacated by the Hon Michael Ronaldson". Twitter. @VicParliament. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ "China blocks Liberal MPs Andrew Hastie and James Paterson from Beijing study trip - China power - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Important we can state our views: Chester | the Times". Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Government MPs alarmed over Chinese influence at Australian universities after pro-Beijing rallies - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Tomazin, Farrah (15 September 2022). "Australian MPs meet with global peers as part of global China push-back". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Liberal senator James Paterson to lead Parliament's intelligence and security committee". SMH.com.au. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Former PJCIS chair named shadow cyber security minister". itnews.com.au. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Victorian Liberal Senator James Paterson named opposition's new Home Affairs spokesman". heraldsun.com.au. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Opposition reshuffles shadow ministry after underwhelming Dunkley by-election result". theguardian.com.au. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ Massola, James (20 March 2021). "Who's who in the Liberals' left, right and centre factions?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ Massola, James (8 April 2023). "How Morrison's shattering defeat gave Dutton a seismic shift in factional power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Top spot on Coalition Senate ticket goes to Institute of Public Affairs researcher". the Guardian. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ Bonyhady, Nick (11 May 2022). "'Unprecedented internet censorship': Libertarian group hits out at misinformation laws". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Fight over changes to 18C appears to be unfinished". SBS News. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ Coughlan, Matt (20 November 2019). "Chinese diplomat rejects Aussie critics". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "'Deeply disturbing': Australia denounces documents detailing mass detention of Muslims". SBS News. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Australian Senator Paterson urges Britain to vote for Brexit - 2016". YouTube. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Click "Like" if you agree - Senator James Paterson". Facebook. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Paterson, James (25 August 2017). "Religion should have a voice on same-sex marriage". The Australian. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ Benson, Simon (13 November 2017). "Conservative Libs to offer new gay marriage bill". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 13 November 2017.