People & associates
James Paterson
Conroy's media regulation proposals fail the public interest test
All politicians are self-interested. But few are as shameless as Communications Minister Stephen Conroy. His proposed "media reforms" may be a...
James Paterson's Diary
The best thing about appearing on Q&A is not hanging out with Tony Jones backstage, or even appearing before 700,000 viewers on ABC1. It's...
Should the government restrict super-sizing junk food?
There's a lot of competition for the most stupid Nanny State proposal. But if forced to choose, plans to restrict serving sizes would have to take...
Time to reduce government
Classical liberals often convince themselves that a small government agenda could never be politically popular in Australia. Two new polls suggest...
Should the media censor Anders Behring Breivik?
The government certainly shouldn't. If we value the principle of freedom of speech then it should not be illegal to air Breivik's trial. But that...
Not such a super idea
The Federal Government's plan to increase compulsory superannuation contributions from 9% to 12% is economically dubious and morally questionable....
Liberal Labour reform
One of the first acts of an Abbott government should be to repeal the Labor Party's Fair Work Act. Industrial relations reform has a strong...
Has politics finally moved beyond the personal?
The Libertarian James Paterson Politcians tax us too much, spend our money wastefully and regulate our lives. So why do we spend so much time...
The closing of the Australian mind
It has long been the lament of academics that their self-evidently brilliant ideas and advice are seldom heeded in the ‘real' world. Nowhere...
Should alcohol carry warnings?
Proposals for government-mandated health warnings on alcohol treat Australians as if they are too stupid to look after their own health, and are...