The Bratpack Young Liberals Who Snagged A Senate Spot For Their Mate
At the age of 28, James Paterson is about to become the youngest senator in Australian Parliament.
Minutes after winning the Liberal party's nomination to become the next Victorian senator, James Paterson and his legion of young Liberal mates gathered for this happy Instagram photo.
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His team of smiling friends bragged that the Sunday night victory in the Victorian Liberal party pre-selection in Melbourne was a "grassroots coup".
Paterson surprised everyone, winning the secret ballot of the party's Victorian membership that was held to decide who'd replace retiring veteran Michael Ronaldson. He won 210 to 188 against other more favoured candidates.
Powered by homemade Anzac biscuits, the chino-wearing Liberal millennials had been using messaging app Slack for weeks (an app also used by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull) to organise and war-game the vote.
"They're a group of people who weren't going to be told 'no' by either side of the party and weren't going to wait their turn," a source close to Paterson told BuzzFeed News.
"These guys are the next generation feeling and responding to decades of frustration amongst people that politicians haven't moved with the times, both in terms of how we communicate a vision for the country, and get elected."
Paterson, a policy expert at the right-wing think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs, beat out a strong field including legal aid lawyer Karin Okotel (right) andsuperannuation policy adviser Jane Hume (left) and former Victorian MP Amanda Mill.
Running under the slogan "a voice for our values", his bratpack team of powerbrokers identify as freedom-loving liberals with a socially progressive agenda. They're anti lock-out laws, pro same-sex marriage, fans of free speech, and keen to find ways to making housing more affordable for young people.
All aged under 31, they gain their legitimacy from powerful backers including communications minister Mitch Fifield, parliamentary speaker Tony Smith, senator Dean Smith, and former deputy leader of the Liberal party Peter Reith.
Despite the recent push for more women in the Victorian party, Paterson beat out the female candidate backed by the Victorian Liberal party president Michael Kroger.
It means the Liberal party continues to have no female politicians representing Victoria in the federal Senate.