
James Paterson
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 | 21 Nov 1987, Melbourne, Victoria |
|---|---|
| Entered parliament | 9 Mar 2016 |
| Parliaments | 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th |
| Qualification | Institution |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Commerce | University of Melbourne |
| Bachelor of Arts | University of Melbourne |
Occupations before parliament
| Role | Organisation | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Employed | Institute of Public Affairs | 2011 – 2016 |
| Employed | Employer's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Vic.) | 2010 – 2011 |
| Employed in the office | Senator M Fifield | 2006 – 2010 |
Positions held
| Role | Ministry | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Minister for Defence | Taylor Shadow Ministry | 17 Feb 2026 | current |
| Shadow Cabinet Minister | Taylor Shadow Ministry | 17 Feb 2026 | current |
| Shadow Minister for the Public Service | Ley Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | 12 Feb 2026 |
| Shadow Minister for Finance | Ley Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | 12 Feb 2026 |
| Shadow Minister for Government Services | Ley Shadow Ministry | 28 May 2025 | 12 Feb 2026 |
| Shadow Cabinet Secretary | Dutton Shadow Ministry | 5 Mar 2024 | 28 May 2025 |
| Shadow Minister for Home Affairs | Dutton Shadow Ministry | 18 Apr 2023 | 28 May 2025 |
| Shadow Cabinet Minister | Dutton Shadow Ministry; Ley Shadow Ministry | 18 Apr 2023 | 12 Feb 2026 |
| Shadow Minister for Cyber Security | Dutton Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | 28 May 2025 |
| Shadow Minister for Countering Foreign Interference | Dutton Shadow Ministry | 5 Jun 2022 | 18 Apr 2023 |
Committee service
| Committee | Role | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence and Security Joint Statutory | Chair from 4 Feb 2021 | 3 Feb 2021 | current |
| Economics: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 19 Oct 2020 | 2 Nov 2020 |
| COVID-19 Senate Select | Deputy Chair from 9 Apr 2020 to 7 Apr 2022 | 8 Apr 2020 | 7 Apr 2022 |
| Parliamentary Library Joint Standing | Member | 22 Jul 2019 | 11 Apr 2022 |
| Corporations and Financial Services Joint Statutory | Chair from 25 Jul 2020 to 16 Feb 2021 | 2 Jul 2019 | 13 May 2021 |
| Fair Dinkum Power Senate Select | Member | 5 Dec 2018 | 28 Jun 2019 |
| Obesity Epidemic in Australia Senate Select | Member | 10 May 2018 | 5 Dec 2018 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 16 Jun 2017 | 16 Jun 2017 |
| Future of Public Interest Journalism Senate Select | Member | 11 May 2017 | 5 Feb 2018 |
| Finance and Public Administration: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Chair | 15 Feb 2017 | 1 Aug 2022 |
| Finance and Public Administration: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Deputy Chair from 4 Jul 2019 to 1 Aug 2022 | 15 Feb 2017 | 1 Aug 2022 |
| Exposure Draft of the Marriage Amendment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill Senate Select | Member | 1 Dec 2016 | 15 Feb 2017 |
| Strengthening Multiculturalism Senate Select | Member | 1 Dec 2016 | 17 Aug 2017 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 28 Nov 2016 | 15 Feb 2017 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Chair from 16 Jun 2017 to 1 Jul 2019 | 28 Nov 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Environment and Communications: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 28 Nov 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Red Tape Senate Select | Member | 24 Nov 2016 | 3 Dec 2018 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Substitute member | 22 Nov 2016 | 25 Nov 2016 |
| Finance and Public Administration: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Chair | 12 Sep 2016 | 28 Nov 2016 |
| Finance and Public Administration: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 12 Sep 2016 | 28 Nov 2016 |
| Human Rights Joint Statutory | Member | 12 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Migration Joint Standing | Member | 12 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| National Capital and External Territories Joint Standing | Member | 12 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Parliamentary Library Joint Standing | Member | 12 Sep 2016 | 5 Feb 2018 |
| Education and Employment: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Education and Employment: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 1 Jul 2019 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 12 Sep 2016 |
| Environment and Communications: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 1 Sep 2016 | 12 Sep 2016 |
| Community Affairs: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 15 Mar 2016 | 9 May 2016 |
| Community Affairs: References Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 15 Mar 2016 | 9 May 2016 |
| Environment and Communications: Legislation Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing | Member | 15 Mar 2016 | 9 May 2016 |
| Human Rights Joint Statutory | Member | 15 Mar 2016 | 9 May 2016 |
| National Disability Insurance Scheme Joint Standing | Member | 15 Mar 2016 | 9 May 2016 |
| Publications Senate Standing | Member | 15 Mar 2016 | 9 May 2016 |
| Scrutiny of Government Budget Measures (formerly Abbott Government's Budget Cuts) Senate Select | Member | 15 Mar 2016 | 9 May 2016 |
Memberships as the Parliamentary Handbook records them; current means no end date is recorded.
Election history
| Election | Electorate | Party | First pref % | Swing | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 federal election | Senate, Victoria | Liberal | 31.41 | Elected 2nd of 6 | |
| 2019 federal election | Senate, Victoria | Liberal | 35.90 | Elected 1st of 6 | |
| 2016 federal election | Senate, Victoria | Liberal | 33.11 | Elected 8th of 12 |
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 | $50,394 | $51,913 | $53,482 | $45,742 |
| Office Facilities | $43,670 | $32,481 | $42,528 | $31,095 |
| Office Administration | $50,954 | $9,949 | $11,324 | $14,227 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $17,293 | $13,181 | $14,875 | $6,944 |
| Other Car Costs | $12,387 | $11,502 | $12,777 | $8,920 |
| Travel Allowance | $8,568 | $8,944 | $10,046 | $8,397 |
| International Travel | $6,885 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Family or Nominee Travel | $2,275 | $0 | $1,945 | $1,050 |
| Telecommunications | $489 | $980 | $733 | $733 |
| Total | $192,915 | $128,951 | $147,709 | $117,108 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 federal election | Senate, Victoria | Nil return | ||
| 2019 federal election | Senate, Victoria | Nil return | ||
| 2016 federal election | Senate, Victoria | Nil return | ||
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.
Bills raised
| Bill | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Protecting Australia’s Defence Heritage Bill 2026 | Sponsor | Before Senate |
Sponsor marks the member's own bill; Introduced marks bills they moved, typically as the responsible minister.
Voting record 395 divisions
Photo: Alison Newman (CC BY-SA 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.