Senator James McGrath

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Official Facebook page of Senator James McGrath.

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James has always had a passion for politics.

As a boy growing up in regional Queensland, his family often debated politics around the kitchen table.

He ran his first campaign as a teenager at Nambour State High School - an ultimately unsuccessful campaign to prevent the sacking of the school principal.

James went on to study Law at Griffith University and was elected President of the Griffith University Liberal Club. He also chaired the Sunshine Coast Branch of the Young Liberals.

After working as a solicitor for three years, James quit the legal profession to work in politics.

He secured a position as an adviser to the South Australian Government (2001-02) before moving to London to work for the Conservative Party in the UK (2002-08), where his roles included Deputy Campaign Director for Boris Johnson’s Mayoral Campaign, Special Adviser to the Shadow Chancellor, Chief of Staff to the Party Chairman, and also Campaign Coordinator.

James also worked as the National Presidential Campaign Director for The Maldivian Democratic Party (2008).

On returning to Australia, James took on the roles of Deputy Federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia (2009-10), Campaign Director for the LNP (2010-12) and Campaign Director for the Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party (2012).

James later stepped out of the administrative and strategic side of campaigning to successfully nominate as a Senate candidate for the Liberal National Party at the 2013 Federal Election. He was sworn in in July 2014.

His driving political views include a love for democracy, freedom and liberty, and support for lower taxes and smaller government.

James currently serves in the Ministry as the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP.