Skip to content
Political Tracker

Federal Parliament · Senate

James Paterson

Senator for Victoria · Liberal Party

Shadow Minister for Defence · since 17 Feb 2026

Photo: Alison Newman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Compare with another member
Recorded-vote participation
62%
2,848 of 4,610 eligible divisions, full record
Voted with party majority
100%
2,848 of 2,848 votes cast, full record
Policy record available
191 policies
Coverage varies by policy

Recorded-vote participation: The share of recorded votes (divisions) they were eligible for in which they voted, across their full record on They Vote For You. Divisions are only part of parliamentary work. “Voted with party majority” counts votes where they voted the same way as most members of their party.

How they voted on policies

Each policy groups related divisions. Counts are this member's recorded votes from 16 Mar 2016 to 14 May 2026; the score is They Vote For You's weighted agreement across all years. A voting record shows how someone voted, not necessarily what they personally believe.

Showing 12 of 191 policies

  • Votes in line with policy
  • Votes against policy

Contact James Paterson

Office addresses, phone numbers and the best way to get in touch are on their official Parliament of Australia profile.

Time in Parliament

Terms of service and ministerial or shadow ministerial roles, from OpenAustralia's hand-maintained records of the Parliamentary Handbook.

Terms of service

  • Senate

    9 Mar 2016 – present

Ministerial and shadow roles

  • Shadow Minister for Defence

    17 Feb 2026 – present

  • Shadow Minister for Finance

    28 May 2025 – 17 Feb 2026

  • Shadow Minister for Government Services

    28 May 2025 – 17 Feb 2026

  • Shadow Minister for the Public Service

    28 May 2025 – 17 Feb 2026

  • Shadow Cabinet Secretary

    5 Mar 2024 – 28 May 2025

  • Shadow Minister for Home Affairs

    18 Apr 2023 – 28 May 2025

  • Shadow Minister for Cyber Security

    5 June 2022 – 28 May 2025

  • Shadow Minister for Countering Foreign Interference

    5 June 2022 – 18 Apr 2023