James Paterson has been a Victorian senator for the Liberal Party for just over a year now. He's been making a name for himself as a passionate advocate for freedom of speech in regards to the reforming of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and by proposing that Australia help deal with its debt problem by selling off Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles.
Here the Senator and I talk about our first meeting years ago, his position as something of a political anomaly within his own family, why he's so strident on 18C, racism, offshore detention and corporate tax cuts.
Stand Up For Mehdi at MICF 2017 - only a handful of tickets left!
Problematic begins at MICF 2017 this week
Boundless Plains To Share is at MICF for one show only on Saturday April 22nd
My piece for The Guardian: Politically incorrect comedy can work - if the audience gets it
My piece for The Saturday Paper: Satire, free speech and Mehdi Savari
Article: The Senate blocks the government's changes to Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act
Article: Even among Australians worried about political correctness 18C is not a big issue
Article: A history of Section 18C and the Racial Discrimination Act
Article: 18C Debate is not over say both Liberal Senator and Labor MP
Senator Paterson's first speech
Senator Paterson's speech on 18C
Article: What is Section 18C and why do some politicians want it changed
Article: An inconvenient truth gets in the way of the company tax cut chants
Joint Human Rights Committee report into Freedom of Speech in Australia
Article: Doctors freed to speak about Australia's detention regime after U-Turn
Article: 'Voodoo economics' lie at the heart of Scott Morrison's budget
Article: There is no such thing as trickle-down economics
Article: 10 reasons why the company tax cut is a really bad idea
Article: Australia doesn't need to chase Donald Trump on corporate tax cuts
Article: Company profits surge as wages fall
Cause of the Week: Soldier On (soldieron.org.au)