edited
2nd Dec 2022
Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022 - in Committee - Approval and importation of drugs
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 86% attendance
James Paterson
Liberal Party Senator for Victoria since March 2016
Never rebels explain rebellions 68% attendance explain attendance
James Paterson is Shadow Cabinet Secretary, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, and Shadow Minister for Cyber Security.
How do they vote?
Voted consistently for
- A character test for Australian visas
- A combined Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia
- A declared area offence
- Adani's proposed Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin
- An Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC)
- Australia's timber industry
- Changing the wording of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act
- Civil celebrants having the right to refuse to marry same-sex couples
- Continuing Detention Orders (CDOs)
- Drug testing welfare recipients
- Extended Supervision Orders (ESOs)
- Getting rid of Sunday and public holiday penalty rates
- Imprisoning immigration detention workers who record or reveal information from their work
- Increasing parliamentary entitlements for current MPs and Senators
- Increasing the initial tax rate for working holiday makers to 15%
- Increasing the initial tax rate for working holiday makers to 19%
- Increasing the passenger movement charge ('PMC')
- Increasing the price of tobacco
- Live animal export
- Maintaining or increasing defence spending
- Making more water from Murray-Darling Basin available to use
- Offshore oil mining
- Offshore processing for people seeking asylum in Australia
- Prioritising religious freedom
- Privatising certain government services
- Privatising the ABC
- Putting welfare payments onto cashless debit cards (or indue cards) on an ongoing basis
- Reducing taxes for high-income earners
- Reducing the corporate tax rate
- Same-sex marriage equality
- Senate electoral reform
- Temporary Exclusion Orders
- The Coalition's new schools funding policy ("Gonski 2.0")
- The Coalition's Youth Jobs PaTH
- The Murray Darling Basin Plan
- Unconventional gas mining
Voted almost always for
Voted generally for
- A referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
- Decreasing availability of welfare payments
- Increasing surveillance powers
- Mandatory minimum sentences for certain offences
- Preventative Detention Orders (PDOs)
- Reducing taxes for middle-income earners
- Targeting foreign interference in Australia
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement
Voted a mixture of for and against
- Implementing refugee and protection conventions
- Increasing accessibility of government data and documents
- Increasing funding for university education
- Promoting multiculturalism
- Speeding things along in Parliament (procedural)
- Suspending the rules to allow a vote to happen (procedural)
- Treating COVID vaccine status as a protected attribute
- Voluntary student union fees
Voted generally against
- Creating a federal Anti-Corruption Commission
- Federal action on public housing
- Federal government action on animal & plant extinctions
- Increasing consumer protections
- Increasing freedom of political communication
- Increasing political transparency
- Net zero emissions by 2050
- No new fossil fuels projects
- Protecting Australian sovereignty in trade agreements
- Protecting whistleblowers
- Reducing air pollution
- The Paris Climate Agreement
Voted almost always against
- Assisting Australians trying to return from overseas
- Banning new thermal coal mines
- Closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
- Decreasing government funding for private schools
- Decreasing subsidisation of fossil fuels
- Decreasing the gender pay gap
- Doctor-initiated medical transfers for asylum seekers
- Ending government investment in fossil fuels
- Ending immigration detention on Manus Island
- Increasing Aboriginal land rights
- Increasing housing affordability
- Increasing investment in renewable energy
- Increasing legal protections for LGBTI people
- Increasing protection of Australia's fresh water
- Increasing restrictions on gambling
- Increasing workplace protections
- Protecting threatened forest and bushland habitats
- Repealing Stage 3 tax cuts
- Self-governance of the territories
- Transgender rights
Voted consistently against
- A carbon price
- A national redress scheme for institutional abuse survivors
- A review of our representatives' eligibility
- A Royal Commission into banking
- A Royal Commission into Robodebt
- A Royal Commission into Violence and Abuse against People with Disability
- A transition plan for coal workers
- An independent inquiry into Attorney-General Christian Porter
- An inquiry into the Iraq War
- Assisting the Arts sector through the coronavirus pandemic
- Banning pay secrecy clauses
- Building community climate change resilience
- Building dedicated quarantine facilities (COVID-19)
- Changing the date of Australia Day
- Considering legislation to create a federal anti-corruption commission (procedural)
- Criminalising "revenge porn"
- Encouraging Australian-based industry
- Ending Governor-General allowances for serious misconduct
- Ending illegal logging
- Expanding public funded dental care
- Extending Jobkeeper Payment
- Getting rid of the Gold Travel Pass
- Implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full
- Increasing access to medicinal cannabis products
- Increasing access to the JobKeeper Payment
- Increasing federal government support for childcare
- Increasing funding for legal aid
- Increasing funding for public schools
- Increasing government support for the dairy industry
- Increasing marine conservation
- Increasing penalties for breach of data
- Increasing protection of Aboriginal heritage sites
- Increasing protections for franchisees
- Increasing scrutiny of asylum seeker management
- Increasing the diversity of media ownership
- Increasing the foreign aid budget to 0.7% of Gross National Income
- Increasing the Newstart Allowance rate
- Increasing the Youth Allowance rate
- Increasing trade unions' powers in the workplace
- Increasing transparency of big business by making information public
- Increasing transparency of the China-Australia relationship
- Introducing a Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV)
- Legalising pepper spray
- Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees
- Making the cashless debit card program voluntary and not mandatory
- More scrutiny of intelligence services & police
- Paid parental leave equality for stay-at-home mums and dads
- Pill testing
- Procedural fairness
- Protecting citizens' privacy
- Protecting the Great Barrier Reef
- Protecting whales within Australian waters
- Putting a time limit on immigration detention
- Reducing waste in Australia
- Removing children from immigration detention
- Reproductive bodily autonomy
- Requiring every native title claimant to sign land use agreements
- Restricting donations to political parties
- Stopping former ministers from taking lobbying positions within five years
- Stopping tax avoidance or aggressive tax minimisation
- The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
- The territories being able to legalise euthanasia
- Transgender children and young people having access to gender affirming healthcare
- Treating the COVID vaccine rollout as a matter of urgency
- Universal access to abortion services
- Vehicle efficiency standards
We can't say anything concrete about how they voted on
- A Free Trade Agreement with China
- A same-sex marriage plebiscite
- A travel ban on people from certain countries
- An independent NDIS assessment process
- Banning mobiles and other devices in immigration detention
- Banning the sale of non-therapeutic vapes
- Buffer zones around abortion clinics
- Building Australia’s new submarine fleet in South Australia
- Capping gas prices
- Climate change mitigation strategies (e.g., carbon capture and storage)
- Community right to say no to nuclear waste disposal sites
- Compulsory income management for welfare recipients
- Considering motions on Gaza (2023-24) (procedural)
- Ending immigration detention on Nauru
- Ending indexation on student debt (vocational and tertiary)
- Fee-free university and TAFE education
- Giving approval for mining in the Liverpool Plains
- Implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
- Increasing access under Freedom of Information law
- Increasing eligibility requirements for Australian citizenship
- Increasing fishing restrictions
- Increasing funding for road infrastructure
- Increasing indexation of HECS-HELP debts
- Increasing state and territory environmental approval powers
- Increasing support for the Australian film and TV industry
- Increasing support for the Australian shipping industry
- Increasing the age pension
- Increasing the cost of humanities degrees
- Increasing workplace protections for women
- Investing in climate science
- Landholders' right to say no to mining and gas exploration
- MacMines' proposed China Stone coal mine in the Galilee Basin
- Making sanitary items GST-free
- Market-led approaches to protecting biodiversity
- More scrutiny of the Australian Defence Force
- Net zero emissions by 2035
- Placing the CFMEU into administration
- Political intervention in research funding grants
- Privatising government-owned assets
- Public transport
- Requiring a warrant to access citizens’ telecommunications records
- Requiring Parliamentary approval of military deployments
- Restricting foreign ownership
- Revoking citizenship of dual nationals involved with terrorism offences by the courts
- Revoking citizenship of dual nationals involved with terrorism offences by the minister
- Storing all citizens' telecommunications data for access by government agencies
- Strengthening gun control laws
- Temporary protection visas
- The federal government calling for a ceasefire in Gaza (2023-24)
- The use of strong encryption technologies
- Tighter means testing of family payments
- Tobacco plain packaging
- Turning back asylum boats when possible
Please note that our voting records start in February 2006.
Rebel votes
James Paterson has never voted against the majority of their party since entering Parliament in March 2016. explain rebellions
Free votes
James Paterson has taken part in 16 free votes since entering Parliament in March 2016. explain “Free Votes”
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-
edited 2nd Dec 2022
Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022 - in Committee - Limitation of power
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 82% attendance
-
edited 25th Nov 2022
Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022 - Second Reading - Agree with bill's main idea
James Paterson voted No in this free vote
Passed by a small majority
No rebellions 87% attendance
-
edited 11th Feb 2022
Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve’s Law) Bill 2021 - in Committee - Sections 28F and 28G
James Paterson voted No in this free vote
Passed by a small majority
No rebellions 80% attendance
-
edited 14th Sep 2018
Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill 2015 - Second Reading - Agree with the bill's main idea
James Paterson voted No in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 92% attendance
-
edited 30th Nov 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - Third Reading - Pass the bill
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Passed by a modest majority
No rebellions 76% attendance
-
edited 23rd Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Religious versus civil marriage celebrants
James Paterson voted No in this free vote
Passed by a modest majority
No rebellions 74% attendance
-
edited 23rd Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Authorised marriage celebrant
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a modest majority
No rebellions 74% attendance
-
edited 23rd Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - No obligation to solemnise marriage
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 79% attendance
-
edited 24th Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Civil celebrants' right to refuse
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 88% attendance
-
edited 24th Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Religious organisations
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 89% attendance
-
edited 24th Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Charities
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 88% attendance
-
edited 29th Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Defence chaplains
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a modest majority
No rebellions 86% attendance
-
edited 29th Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - "Freedom" amendments
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a modest majority
No rebellions 89% attendance
-
edited 29th Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Religious marriage celebrants
James Paterson voted No in this free vote
Passed by a small majority
No rebellions 92% attendance
-
edited 29th Dec 2017
Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Religious and conscientious protection
James Paterson voted Yes in this free vote
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 92% attendance
Recent Votes
Recent votes in parliament that this Senator could have attended.
-
Matters of Urgency — Aukus
James Paterson was absent
Not passed by a modest majority
No rebellions 50% attendance
-
Committees — Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee; Reference
James Paterson was absent
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 57% attendance
-
Committees — Environment and Communications References Committee; Reference
James Paterson was absent
Not passed by a small majority
No rebellions 57% attendance
Compare James Paterson with someone else
Shows people in order of those who voted always the same as James Paterson (100% agreement) to those who never voted the same (0% agreement).
We only compare those votes where both people attended. This may reveal relationships between people that were previously unsuspected. Or it may be nonsense.
| Agreement | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | Wendy Askew | Liberal Party Senator for Tasmania |
| 100% | Michaelia Cash | Liberal Party Senator for WA |
| 100% | Jonathon Duniam | Liberal Party Senator for Tasmania |
| 100% | Kerrynne Liddle | Liberal Party Senator for SA |
| 100% | Andrew McLachlan | Deputy President Senator for SA |