'Ghostbuster' is Libs' top performer - and in wrong chamber

Wednesday 08 October 2025

Dennis Shanahan

The Australian

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 There is only one answer to a series of vital questions for the bowed and  beaten Liberal Party going into the final parliamentary sessions for 2025 and  that answer is James Paterson.
 
 Who can be trusted to front the media, go bravely on to the ABC and defend  Sussan Ley's leadership on Sky TV? James Paterson.
 
 Who can take over the redhot portfolio of home affairs at a moment's notice  and not miss a beat? James Paterson.
 
 Who can sensibly apportion and accept blame for the Liberal election loss?  James Paterson.
 
 Who can put the best gloss on Andrew Hastie's resignation and rebellion  without antagonising the former frontbencher? James Paterson.
 
 The Victorian Liberal senator now covering four portfolios, including finance  and home affairs, is the political equivalent of Ghostbusterswho else can you  call? but unfortunately for the Liberals and Coalition opposition. Paterson  can't be the answer to every question and just epitomises the lack of talent  and depth in the depleted opposition.
 
 Paterson was a confident and mistake-free voice and face for the Liberals  during the election campaign, and has displayed a competency and calm beyond  his experience, but he must not be the only voice for the Coalition on radio  and television. A written statement does not cut the mustard any longer.
 
 Since taking over home affairs last Friday, Paterson has pushed his way into  live media where few other opposition MPs dare to go, and sought to prosecute  the only viable political agenda against Anthony Albanese at the moment over  what he knew about the "secret" bringing back of the Islamic State  brides.
 
 Likewise opposition leader in the Senate, Michaela Cash, pursued on Tuesday  what the Prime Minister knew in Senate committees and declared the refusal to  provide information on the ISIS brides "has turned into another Albanese  government cover-up''.
 
 Yet one of the biggest problems the opposition faces is that Paterson is not  in the House of Representatives.
 
 While Liberal senators pursued the PM over ISIS brides, Sussan Ley's team in  the house did not ask a question on the subject and concentrated on the Optus  triple-0 catastrophe.
 
 With only weeks before the summer parliamentary break, the Opposition Leader  has to act quickly to find other answers to the Paterson questions or write  off 2025 as a disaster and go into next year on an even more diminished  political platform.