James Paterson (Australian politician)

James William Paterson (born 21 November 1987) is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Victoria since 2016, representing the Liberal Party.

Senator

James Paterson
Senator for Victoria
Assumed office
9 March 2016
Preceded byMichael Ronaldson
Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security
Assumed office
4 February 2021
DeputyAnthony Byrne
Preceded byAndrew Hastie
Personal details
Born
James William Paterson

(1987-11-21) 21 November 1987
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal Party
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne

Early life

Educated at McKinnon Secondary College and the University of Melbourne,[1] Paterson worked as a special adviser for Senator Mitch Fifield, and for several months as an intern for U.S. congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart.[2] 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.[3]

Politics

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.[4] Paterson was appointed by a joint sitting of the Parliament of Victoria on 9 March 2016.[5]

Paterson, along with fellow MP Andrew Hastie, were denied entry into China for a study tour in November 2019.[6] Some believe this is due to criticism the pair has raised about Chinese actions towards the Uighurs in Xinjiang province[7] as well as attempted influencing of opinion about China within Australia.[8]

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. [9]

Views

Paterson has expressed his support of Brexit, and a freedom of movement deal between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (CANZUK).[10][11]

In August 2017, Paterson described himself as a "conditional" supporter of same-sex marriage,[12] 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.[13] He later backed down from putting up a bill.

References
  1. "About Senator Paterson". senatorpaterson.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. "Panelist: James Paterson". Q&A. ABC. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  3. "People: James Paterson". Institute of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  4. "Michaelia Cash backs talent over gender in preselection, as Paterson is promoted over Hume". ABC News. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. "Mr James Paterson was appointed to the @ausenate seat vacated by the Hon Michael Ronaldson". Twitter. @VicParliament. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  6. "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.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "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.
  9. "Liberal senator James Paterson to lead Parliament's intelligence and security committee". SMH.com.au. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  10. "Australian Senator Paterson urges Britain to vote for Brexit - 2016". YouTube. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  11. "Click "Like" if you agree - Senator James Paterson". Facebook. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  12. Paterson, James (25 August 2017). "Religion should have a voice on same-sex marriage". The Australian. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  13. Benson, Simon (13 November 2017). "Conservative Libs to offer new gay marriage bill". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 13 November 2017.


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