James McGrath (Australian politician)
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James McGrath | |
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Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister | |
In office 21 September 2015 – 22 August 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
Preceded by | |
Succeeded by | Steve Irons |
Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection | |
In office 18 February 2016 – 19 July 2016 | |
Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
Preceded by | Michaelia Cash |
Succeeded by | Alex Hawke |
Senator for Queensland | |
Assumed office 1 July 2014 | |
Preceded by | Sue Boyce |
Personal details | |
Born | Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | 14 May 1974
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Liberal |
Other political affiliations | Liberal National Party of Queensland |
Residence | Warwick, Queensland |
Education | |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Political adviser |
Profession | Solicitor |
James Anthony McGrath (born 14 May 1974) is an Australian politician and Senator for Queensland since 2014. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament. McGrath currently serves as Deputy Government Whip in the Senate, Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, and Chair of the Education and Employment Legislation Committee.
Early life[]
McGrath was born in Toowoomba, attending Toowoomba State High School and Nambour State High School, the latter also the alma mater of other politicians such as Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan.[1] He graduated from Griffith University, where he was President of the Griffith University Liberal Club, with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws. He then completed a Master of Laws at the Queensland University of Technology. He was admitted as a solicitor and worked as an articled clerk in a legal firm before working with the Queensland Parliamentary Ombudsman between 1999 and 2001. McGrath is a former political strategist who worked with Lynton Crosby on Boris Johnson's successful 2008 London mayoral campaign and on the Maldivian Democratic Party's 2008 presidential election victory.[2][3]
Politics[]
Between 2009 and 2010, McGrath was the deputy federal director of the Liberal Party of Australia. He was campaign director for the Liberal National Party and the Country Liberal Party between 2010 and 2012, during which the LNP recorded the largest ever electoral victory in the state of Queensland.[4]
Senate[]
McGrath was elected to the Senate at the 2013 federal election. In 2014, he delivered his maiden speech, calling for the GST rate to rise to 15 per cent, federal health and education departments to be abolished, youth radio station Triple J and ABC to be privatised and defended people's right to say "hurtful and bigoted and stupid and dumb things".[5]
McGrath assisted in toppling both Tony Abbott, and Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal Party leaders.[6] The night before Turnbull defeated Abbott for the leadership, McGrath joined a dinner with a close group of Turnbull number crunchers.[7] McGrath was even labelled by some as Turnbull's 'key numbers man'.[8] During the Channel 7 election coverage, Australian radio broadcaster Alan Jones engaged McGrath in a heated debate. Jones accused McGrath of being ‘too panicked’ and had taken the LNP down the path of Labor by supporting Turnbull.[9] Jones told McGrath: ‘There are a lot of bed-wetters in the Liberal Party and you seem to be the captain of the bed-wetters.’[10]
Under Turnbull, McGrath was rewarded with a promotion to assistant minister to the Prime Minister.[11] He served as Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister in the Turnbull Government from September 2015 to August 2018, and Assistant Minister to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection from February to July 2016.[12]
Having supported Malcolm Turnbull in the 2015 leadership spill, McGrath swung his support behind fellow Queensland parliamentarian Peter Dutton to become leader against Turnbull in 2018.[13] Consequently, he resigned from his executive position on 22 August 2018. McGrath was not promoted back into the outer ministry following his rebellion against Turnbull.[14]
In May 2021, McGrath was preselected to lead the LNP Senate ticket for the 2022 Federal Election, defeating a challenge from Amanda Stoker for the number one position on the ticket.[15] McGrath was reported to have had the support of senior Queensland cabinet ministers Peter Dutton and David Littleproud, with his convincing 212–101 victory seen as a rebuke of the LNP's insurgent 'Christian Right' factional grouping.[16][17]
Controversy[]
In 2008, McGrath ‘resigned’ from Boris Johnson's mayoral administration for allegedly 'racist' comments.[18][19] McGrath was asked if the election of a centre-right mayor might trigger a 'mass exodus of older Caribbean migrants' and he replied that 'let them go if they don't like it here'.[20]
In 2011, McGrath was revealed to have paid a disgruntled Labor staffer for dirt files on government MPs.[21] McGrath orchestrated the research through disgruntled Labor staffer, Robert Hough. In sum, $3,075 was given to Hough to research the file.[22][23] The sheet organised by McGrath included information on politicians sex lives, sexual promiscuity, drinking habits, health matters and family breakdowns. The dirt sheet even included details of the schools of the children of government MPs.[24][25] Though McGrath was merely reprimanded for his actions, there were strong calls for him to be sacked for his involvement in commissioning the research.[26]
On 5 October 2019, Senator McGrath posted a picture on his Facebook page with the caption "Car 1. Flock of cockatoos 0." The picture depicted a dead and mangled cockatoo in the roof rack of a vehicle, presumably Senator McGrath's. This led to widespread condemnation online. [1] [2]
It was soon revealed that this was not the first post of its kind by the senator, who in 2007 posted a picture of two dead birds caught in the grill of a car with the caption "I think dinner tonight has been sorted thanks to my bullbar. Suggestions for how to cook the roadkill?" [3]. In other posts, he has suggested hitting as many as six kangaroos in a single evening [4] and has referred to cockatoos as "menaces" and that "Anyone who thinks cockatoos are cute needs their head read by a suitably qualified medical professional" [5].
Senator McGrath later updated the original caption suggesting that the context of the post had been "missed" and that the post was highlighting "the dangers faced by drivers" in the country. [6]
References[]
- ^ Moore, Tony (12 October 2011). "From Bli Bli to Blighty and back: The remarkable rise of James McGrath". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Old adversary 'gobsmacked' by LNP appointment". Brisbane Times. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Remeikis, Amy; Hurst, Daniel (24 November 2012). "LNP selects top three for Senate bid". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Senator the Hon James McGrath". Parliamentary biography. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Liberal senator James McGrath makes radical call for GST rise, privatisation of 'left-biased' ABC". Sydney Morning Herald. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.,
- ^ Koziol, Michael (22 August 2018). "From Malcolm Turnbull's henchman to Peter Dutton plotter: Senator James McGrath's about face". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Koziol, Michael (22 August 2018). "From Malcolm Turnbull's henchman to Peter Dutton plotter: Senator James McGrath's about face". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Koziol, Michael (22 August 2018). "From Malcolm Turnbull's henchman to Peter Dutton plotter: Senator James McGrath's about face". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "LNP senator James McGrath calls Alan Jones "a grub"". Queensland Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Jones called 'a grub' during fiery debate". PerthNow. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Koziol, Michael (22 August 2018). "From Malcolm Turnbull's henchman to Peter Dutton plotter: Senator James McGrath's about face". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Ministerial Swearing-in Ceremony". Events. Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ Koziol, Michael (22 August 2018). "From Malcolm Turnbull's henchman to Peter Dutton plotter: Senator James McGrath's about face". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Senator the Hon James McGrath". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 9 July 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ "Liberal James McGrath beats Amanda Stoker for top spot on Queensland Senate ticket". The Guardian. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Lynch, Lydia (29 April 2021). "'Fight for the heart of the party': Why the LNP's Senate showdown matters". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ "James McGrath beats Amanda Stoker for top spot in preselection". Australian Financial Review. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Moore, Tony (12 October 2011). "From Bli Bli to Blighty and back: The remarkable rise of James McGrath". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Ramachandran, Arjun (23 June 2008). "Aussie quits London mayor's team in race row". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Moore, Tony (12 October 2011). "From Bli Bli to Blighty and back: The remarkable rise of James McGrath". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Moore, Tony (12 October 2011). "From Bli Bli to Blighty and back: The remarkable rise of James McGrath". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Hurst, Daniel (12 October 2011). "LNP's dirty deed docs 'belong in the 1950s'". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Moore, Daniel Hurst and Tony (11 October 2011). "LNP sack calls grow". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Hurst, Daniel (12 October 2011). "LNP's dirty deed docs 'belong in the 1950s'". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Moore, Daniel Hurst and Tony (11 October 2011). "LNP sack calls grow". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Hurst, Daniel (12 October 2011). "LNP's dirty deed docs 'belong in the 1950s'". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
External links[]
- Living people
- 1974 births
- Liberal National Party of Queensland members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian Senate
- Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland
- Australian solicitors
- Australian political consultants
- Griffith University alumni
- Queensland University of Technology alumni
- Turnbull Government
- 21st-century Australian politicians
- Government ministers of Australia