About James
James Paterson is a Liberal Senator for Victoria, and is the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and the Shadow Cabinet Secretary.
First elected in March 2016 at age 28, Senator Paterson is the youngest Liberal ever elected to the Senate.
During his time in the Senate, he has fought for Australia’s prosperity, freedom, democracy and sovereignty.
Senator Paterson was appointed the Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and the Shadow Minister for Countering Foreign Interference by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Cyber attacks and foreign interference are two of the most serious contemporary threats to Australia’s national security.
He was the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security from February 2021 until May 2022. During this time, Senator Paterson oversaw a record high workload in response to Australia’s changing security environment, handing down 23 reports relating to Australia’s national security in just 12 months.
Senator Paterson has also served as the deputy chair of the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, the chair of the Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services and the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee.
Senator Paterson is also the Australian co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China; co-patron of Liberal Friends of Israel; and deputy chair of the Modest Members Society – a group of Coalition MPs committed to championing economic freedom.
Prior to entering the Senate, James was Deputy Executive Director of free market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs. He previously worked for the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI), and in the office of then Senator the Hon. Mitch Fifield. He has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.
James is a member of the Richmond Football Club and lives in Melbourne with his wife Lydia, their two children and a cavoodle.