• Liberal Party Senator for Victoria
• Shadow Minister for the Public Service (since 28 May 2025)
  Shadow Minister for Finance (since 28 May 2025)
  Shadow Minister for Government Services (since 28 May 2025)
• Became a Senator on 9 March 2016 — unknown
• Email me whenever James Paterson speaks (no more than once per day)

• Voting record
• Numbers
• Register of Interests

Questions without Notice: Fiscal Policy (5 Feb 2026)

“To be fair to the minister, she's not the only minister who made this mistake. Yesterday, on Sky News, Senator Ayres repeated this incorrect claim. Minister, how, as the Minister for Finance, are you making such a fundamental error about Australian government statistics, which you publish, and why did you not correct the record earlier?”

Questions without Notice: Fiscal Policy (5 Feb 2026)

“Minister, in the most recent financial year, government spending was 26.2 per cent of GDP. Can you name a single financial year in which the Howard government spent more?”

Questions without Notice: Fiscal Policy (5 Feb 2026)

“My question is for the Minister for Finance, Senator Gallagher. Yesterday, in the Senate, you said: The highest-spending government was the Howard government … What is the basis for this claim?”

More of James Paterson's recent appearances

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Please note that numbers do not measure quality. Also, Senators may do other things not currently covered by this site. (More about this)

• Has spoken in 27 debates in the last year — well below average amongst Senators.
• People have made 0 comments on this Senator's speeches — average amongst Senators.
• 11 people are tracking whenever this Senator speaks — email me whenever James Paterson speaks.
• Has used three-word alliterative phrases (e.g. "she sells seashells") 267 times in debates — average amongst Senators. (Why is this here?)

James Paterson's latest interest statementLast updated: 20 Nov 2025