
James McGrath
Counted against the divisions held while they sat, not the whole parliament. Absence from a division is not abstention: pairing arrangements, leave and parliamentary duties are not distinguished in the official record. How these figures are computed.
Background
| Born | 14 May 1974, Toowoomba, Queensland |
|---|---|
| Entered parliament | 1 Jul 2014 |
| Parliaments | 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th |
| Qualification | Institution |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Commerce | Griffith University |
| Bachelor of Laws | Griffith University |
| Master of Laws | Queensland University of Technology |
| Admission as Solicitor | Supreme Court of Queensland |
Occupations before parliament
| Role | Organisation | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Director | Country Liberal Party (NT) | 2012 |
| Self-employed contractor | 2012 – 2014 | |
| Campaign Director | Liberal National Party (Qld) | 2010 – 2012 |
| Deputy Director | Liberal Party of Australia | 2009 – 2010 |
| National Presidential Campaign Director | Maldivian Democratic Party | 2008 |
| Various roles | Conservative Party (UK) including Deputy Campaign Director for the Boris Johnson Mayoral Campaign, Special Adviser to Shadow Chancellor, Chief of Staff to the Party Chairman, Campaign Co-ordinator 2002-08 | |
| Ministerial Adviser (SA) | 2001 – 2002 | |
| Investigating Officer | Parliamentary Ombudsman (Qld) | 1999 – 2001 |
| Solicitor and Articled Clerk | Bennett Carroll and Gibbons (Qld) | 1996 – 1999 |
Positions held
| Role | Ministry | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities | Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | current |
| Shadow Minister for Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games | Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | current |
| Shadow Special Minister of State | Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | current |
| Temporary Chair of Committees | current | ||
| Shadow Cabinet Minister | Ley Shadow Ministry; Taylor Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | 17 Feb 2026 |
| Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition | Dutton Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | 28 May 2025 |
| Shadow Assistant Minister for Finance | Dutton Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | 28 May 2025 |
| Assistant Minister for Regulatory Reform | Turnbull Ministry (2nd) | 29 Mar 2017 | 20 Dec 2017 |
| Assistant Minister for Immigration | Turnbull Ministry; Turnbull Ministry (2nd) | 18 Feb 2016 | 19 Jul 2016 |
| Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister | Turnbull Ministry; Turnbull Ministry (2nd); Morrison Ministry | 21 Sep 2015 | 28 Aug 2018 |
Committee service
| Committee | Role | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Public Administration: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Aug 2022 | current |
| Finance and Public Administration: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Aug 2022 | current |
| Privileges Senate Standing | Member | 1 Aug 2022 | current |
| Electoral Matters Joint Standing | Deputy Chair from 3 Aug 2022 | 10 Sep 2018 | current |
| Electoral Matters Joint Standing | Chair from 12 Sep 2018 to 11 Apr 2022 | 10 Sep 2018 | current |
| Procedure Senate Standing | Member | 21 Oct 2021 | 1 Aug 2022 |
| Education and Employment: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Chair from 3 Jul 2019 to 2 Sep 2021 | 2 Jul 2019 | 2 Sep 2021 |
| Education and Employment: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Deputy Chair from 3 Jul 2019 to 2 Sep 2021 | 2 Jul 2019 | 2 Sep 2021 |
| Selection of Bills Senate Standing | Member | 2 Jul 2019 | 1 Aug 2022 |
| Fair Dinkum Power Senate Select | Member | 5 Dec 2018 | 28 Jun 2019 |
| Appropriations, Staffing and Security Senate Standing | Member | 10 Sep 2018 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Chair from 14 Feb 2019 to 25 Feb 2019 | 10 Sep 2018 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 10 Sep 2018 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 10 Sep 2018 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Senators' Interests Senate Standing | Member | 10 Sep 2018 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Treaties Joint Standing | Member | 10 Sep 2018 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 20 Nov 2014 | 20 Nov 2014 |
| Finance and Public Administration: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 13 Oct 2014 | 17 Oct 2014 |
| Scrutiny of Government Budget Measures (formerly Abbott Government's Budget Cuts) Senate Select | Member | 17 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Joint Select | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 23 Jun 2015 |
| Electoral Matters Joint Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Environment and Communications: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Parliamentary Library Joint Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
| Treaties Joint Standing | Member | 1 Jul 2014 | 12 Oct 2015 |
Memberships as the Parliamentary Handbook records them; current means no end date is recorded.
Election history
| Election | Electorate | Party | First pref % | Swing | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Liberal National Party of Queensland | 35.23 | Elected 1st of 6 | |
| 2016 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Liberal National Party of Queensland | 35.27 | Elected 6th of 12 | |
| 2013 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Liberal National Party of Queensland | 41.39 | Elected 3rd of 6 |
First-preference share of the formal vote at each event, matched by name within the member's state. A Senate row gives the whole group's share of the state's formal vote, since most Senate votes are cast for a group above the line.
Parliamentary expenses
| Category | Apr-Jun 2026 | Jan-Mar 2026 | Oct-Dec 2025 | Jul-Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Travel | $75,162 | $71,864 | $80,019 | $42,045 |
| Office Facilities | $38,748 | $50,374 | $39,307 | $26,315 |
| Office Administration | $29,947 | $7,658 | $28,493 | $22,397 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $26,013 | $14,471 | $20,833 | $24,338 |
| Other Car Costs | $22,740 | $21,852 | $21,358 | $17,292 |
| Travel Allowance | $7,545 | $9,309 | $12,506 | $11,921 |
| Unscheduled Commercial Transport | $912 | $2,778 | $1,155 | $768 |
| Family or Nominee Travel | $2,389 | $0 | $1,701 | $0 |
| Telecommunications | $481 | $1,194 | $467 | $976 |
| Total | $203,937 | $179,500 | $205,839 | $146,053 |
Expenditure as the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority publishes it each quarter, in its own categories, rounded to the dollar. Travel distances, office locations and roles differ, so totals do not compare between members. IPEA's reports and notes.
Funding disclosures
| Election | Electorate | Donations | Donors | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Nil return | ||
| 2016 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Nil return | ||
| 2013 federal election | Senate, Queensland | Nil return | ||
| Financial year | Donations | Donors |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | $0 | 0 |
Returns as lodged with the AEC: a candidate's return covers the gifts received and electoral expenditure for that election, a member's annual return the gifts received in the financial year. A nil return records no gifts or spending of the candidate's own. A party-endorsed candidate lodges one when the party or its campaign committee handled the campaign's money, and the party discloses it in its own returns. AEC Transparency Register.
Voting record 295 divisions
Photo: Commonwealth of Australia (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikidata, Parliamentary Handbook, AEC (CC BY 4.0), IPEA (CC BY 3.0 AU), AEC disclosures (CC BY 4.0), They Vote For You (ODbL). Errors? Request a correction.