James William Paterson (born 21 November 1987) is an Australian politician who has been a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

since 2016, representing the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He was appointed to

Peter Dutton Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian politician who has been leader of the opposition and leader of the Liberal Party since May 2022. He has represented the Queensland seat of Dickson in the House of Representatives sinc ...

's shadow ministry following the

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

's defeat at the 2022 federal election.

Early life

Paterson was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

on 21 November 1987. 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. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, while his mother undertook an academic exchange. He completed high school at

McKinnon Secondary College McKinnon Secondary College is a public secondary school located in the Melbourne suburb of McKinnon. The school was ranked 62nd in Victoria in terms of VCE median study score in 2012. In February 2022, the school opened a second campus located ...

. Paterson completed the degrees of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. He briefly as a special adviser to Senator

Mitch Fifield Mitchell Peter Fifield (born 16 January 1967) is the Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations. He is a former Australian politician who served as a Senator for Victoria from 2004 to 2019, representing the Liberal Party. He wa ...

and for several months as an intern for U.S. congressman

Lincoln Díaz-Balart Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart (born Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart y Caballero; August 13, 1954) is a Cuban-American attorney and politician. He was the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previousl ...

. He then worked as a writer for the

Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the largest and most influential not-for-profit business organisation in Victoria, informing and supporting 47,000 members and clients across the state. Founded in 1851 with headquarters in Melb ...

(VECCI) before joining the

Institute of Public Affairs The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is a conservative non-profit free market public policy think tankAbout the IPA
...

(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.

Politics

Paterson joined the Liberal Party at the age of 17, despite coming from "a

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

or Greens-voting family of long-time trade union members". 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 The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF) is an Australian students' political organisation. Founded in 1948, the ALSF carries similar ideology to the Liberal Party of Australia. The Federation works closely with the Liberal Party, howe ...

(2008–2009), and state president of the Young Liberals (2009). In March 2016, the Victorian division of the

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...

nominated Paterson to fill the casual vacancy in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

caused by the resignation of

Michael Ronaldson Michael John Clyde Ronaldson (born 13 February 1954) is a former Australian politician. He was a Senator for the state of Victoria representing the Liberal Party from July 2005 until February 2016, and previously served in the House of Represe ...

. Paterson was appointed by a joint sitting of the

Parliament of Victoria The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

on 9 March 2016. Paterson and fellow MP

Andrew Hastie Andrew William Hastie (born 30 September 1982) is an Australian politician and former military officer currently serving as the Shadow Minister, shadow minister for defence. He previously served as the Minister for Defence (Australia), Assistan ...

were denied entry into China for a study tour in November 2019. Some believe this is due to criticism the pair has raised about Chinese actions towards the Uighurs in Xinjiang province as well as attempted influencing of opinion about China within

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In 2022, Paterson travelled to Washington as the new Australian Co-Chair for the

Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) is an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries focused on relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), and specifically, the Chinese Communist Party ...

in 2022; the grouping works to ensure an ascendant Communist China Chinese does not shape the decisions and values of the world's democracies. 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. In 2022, Paterson was appointed the Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and the Shadow Minister for Countering Foreign Interference by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Andrew Hastie MP with Huyghur delegates and Sen James Paterson 30 November 2019 photographed by D Birch

Andrew Hastie MP with Huyghur delegates and Sen James Paterson 30 November 2019 photographed by D Birch

Views

Coming from the IPA where he was a fellow, Paterson has been associated with

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

elements of Liberal Party, who put a strong emphasis on freedom of speech as well as free markets. He has sought reform to section 18C of the

Racial Vilification Act 1996 {{Use Australian English, date=January 2012 Racial Vilification Act 1996 is the short title of the Act to prohibit certain conduct involving vilification of people on the ground of race. It is a part of the legislation in South Australia, assent ...

to remove elements that may restrict free speech. Some have grouped him with the national right faction of the Liberal Party. On global matters, Paterson has been an advocate for human rights of religious and ethnic minority groups and a strong critic of Communist China. Paterson expressed his support of

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...

, and a freedom of movement deal between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (

CANZUK CANZUK is a proposed alliance comprising Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as part of an international organisation or confederation similar in scope to the former European Economic Community. This includes increased trade, ...

). In August 2017, Paterson described himself as a supporter of same-sex marriage, and during the

Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the postal service between 12 September and 7 November 2017. Unlike voting in e ...

he drafted a same-sex marriage bill as an alternative to one proposed by Senator

Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi ...

. He later backed down from putting up a bill.

Personal life

Paterson met his wife Lydia at a Liberal student function. The couple had two children as of 2021. Paterson is an

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

and has described himself as "not religious at all", although his wife is Catholic and his children were baptised as Catholics.

References

External links

Parliamentary biography

Summary of parliamentary voting for Senator James Paterson on TheyVoteForYou.org.au
1987 births Living people Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria University of Melbourne alumni 21st-century Australian politicians Australian monarchists {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub