2024 marks the 110th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. But it is also 60 years since Robert Menzies introduced conscription during the Vietnam War. Both anniversaries raise important questions around the limited number of people on whom the overwhelming burden of defending Australia falls, as well as navigating the balance between enjoying the benefits of peace while making the necessary commitments to secure it.

In this special event to commemorate ANZAC Day, the Robert Menzies Institute is proud to host Senator James Paterson to deliver the ANZAC Oration.

You can purchase your tickets here.

Senator Paterson was elected a Liberal Senator for Victoria in March 2016 at the age of 28.

Senator Paterson is the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security. He was previously Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

He also previously chaired the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference Through Social Media, the Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, and the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee.

Senator Paterson is also the Australian co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China; co-patron of Liberal Friends of Israel; and co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Baltics.

Prior to entering the Senate, James was Deputy Executive Director of free market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs. He previously worked for the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI), and in the office of Senator the Hon. Mitch Fifield.

He has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne. He is a graduate of the McKinnon Institute Advanced Political Leadership program, was the 2023 SR Nathan Exchange Fellow to Singapore and is a 2023 Asia Fellow of the International Strategy Forum.