Media
29 Aug Hands off Senate, Lib tells Abbott
Joe Kelly -- The Australian -- 29 August, 2017 Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson has bluntly rejected a major plank of Tony Abbott’s conservative manifesto, speaking out against a constitutional change to allow a joint sitting of parliament without first holding a double-dissolution election. The former prime...
28 Aug Let’s fold UK and Canada into the Closer Economic Relations treaty
James Paterson -- Australian Financial Review -- 28 August, 2017 Australia should use the opportunity of Brexit to push for a new Commonwealth trade bloc. Scoping discussions are already underway for an Australia-United Kingdom free trade agreement, with formal negotiations to begin once Britain has officially left...
26 Aug Union anger over postie’s pay
Lucy Battersby -- The Sydney Morning Herald -- 26 August 2017 Unions have called on the government to sack Australia Post chairman John Stanhope after it emerged former chief executive Ahmed Fahour received a $10.8 million pay packet in his final year. Mr Fahour's $8.7 million in bonuses on top of a $2.04 million base salary attracted...
25 Aug Religion should have a voice on same-sex marriage
James Paterson -- The Australian -- 25 August, 2017 We should extend the freedom to marry to same-sex couples, but doing so shouldn’t come at the expense of other people’s freedom. As a classical liberal, I don’t believe it is appropriate for the government to prevent same-sex couples...
25 Aug Yes-vote Lib fears law suits to hit religious
Andrew Burrell & Greg Brown -- The Australian -- 25 August, 2017 A Liberal senator who supports same-sex marriage says he is worried that activists will deliberately seek out advocates of traditional marriage to sue them under federal and state anti-discrimination law. Victorian senator James Paterson, an...
25 Aug ‘A significant step’
Josh Levi -- The Australian Jewish News -- 25 August 2017 Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s announcement that she will look into the prospects of having an Australian diplomatic presence in Jerusalem has been hailed as significant. Bishop, who is responsible for Australia’s embassies and missions around the world,...
25 Aug Liberal Friends of Israel founded
Josh Levi -- The Australian Jewish News -- 25 August, 2017 State and Federal politicians came together last Friday to establish the Victorian Liberal Friends of Israel (LFI). The unique arrangement will see State Member for Caulfield David Southwick, Federal Member for Goldstein Tim Wilson and Federal...
24 Aug Religious rights threat in state discrimination laws
Andrew Burrell -- The Australian -- 24 August, 2017 The states will come under pressure to overhaul their anti-discrimination laws if Australians vote yes to same-sex marriage, amid a mounting push to protect the rights of people and companies to act according to their religious beliefs. In an unexpected...