Wikipedia
James Anthony McGrath (born 14 May 1974) is an Australian politician who has been a senator for Queensland since 2014. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) and sits with the Liberal Party in federal parliament. Following his re-election in 2022, McGrath was appointed as Shadow Assistant Minister for Finance and Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition.
0
Rebellions
Never rebelled
3529
Votes attended
5167
Possible votes
68%
Attendance rate
Voting Record
Full record ↗
Voted for
temporary protection visas regional processing of asylum seekers privatising government-owned assets uranium export storing all citizens' telecommunications data for access by government agencies deregulating undergraduate university fees giving apprentices access to a $20,000 loan charging postgraduate research students fees making Australians working overseas repay their student debts Senate electoral reform increasing parliamentary entitlements for current MPs and Senators
Mixed / less clear
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement increasing indexation of HECS-HELP debts live animal export imprisoning immigration detention workers who record or reveal information from their work reducing taxes for high-income earners reducing the corporate tax rate nuclear energy the Murray Darling Basin Plan a character test for Australian visas Adani's proposed Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin making more water from Murray-Darling Basin available to use
Voted against
increasing scrutiny of asylum seeker management increasing trade unions' powers in the workplace a minerals resource rent tax restricting foreign ownership increasing the age pension increasing fishing restrictions a federal inquiry into Queensland government administration landholders' right to say no to mining and gas exploration increasing the diversity of media ownership increasing support for community radio and TV greater public scrutiny of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations
Recent Votes – Current Parliament
The 10 most recent “Aye” and “No” votes recorded in the Australian Parliament's own division records this term, sourced directly from aph.gov.au independently of the voting-record data above.
Most recent Aye votes
- 2026-10-15 – Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Illicit Tobacco Enforcement Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2026 (Immigration/Border)
- 2026-10-15 – Taxation of trusts (Tax/Economy/Finance)
- 2026-10-14 – Reference to Environment and Communications Legislation Committee (Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026) (Climate/Environment)
- 2026-10-14 – Compliance with order for production of documents—Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program (Infrastructure/Transport/Energy)
- 2026-10-14 – Private Health Insurance Amendment (Modernising the Private Health Insurance Rebate) Bill 2026—Discharge from Notice Paper (Tax/Economy/Finance)
- 2026-10-14 – Order for production of documents—Australian Broadcasting Corporation—Race Around the World program (Communications/Tech/Media)
- 2026-10-13 – Compliance with orders for production of documents (Government Accountability)
- 2026-10-13 – Order for production of documents—2026 Census (Government Accountability)
- 2026-10-13 – Order for production of documents—Fuel Supply Coordinator recruitment (Government Accountability)
- 2026-10-13 – Ministerial explanation – Age Assurance Technology Trial—Answer to question on notice (Communications/Tech/Media)
Most recent No votes
- 2026-10-14 – Resources and fossil fuels (Climate/Environment)
- 2026-09-15 – Introduction of Red Lines Package Omnibus Bill 2026
- 2026-09-14 – Exemption of bill from cut-off
- 2026-09-14 – Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 (Tax/Economy/Finance)
- 2026-09-10 – Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 (Communications/Tech/Media)
- 2026-09-10 – Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 (Communications/Tech/Media)
- 2026-09-10 – Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 (Communications/Tech/Media)
- 2026-09-10 – Consideration of Statute Update Bill 2026
- 2026-09-10 – Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 (Tax/Economy/Finance)
- 2026-09-10 – Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 (Tax/Economy/Finance)
Interests & Gifts
Real Estate
Interests
- Location: Warwick Queensland · Purpose For Which Owned: Residential
Trusts
Alterations
- Alteration Type: Addition · Details: Hogan Discretionary Trust - Real Estate Brisbane - Discretionary Beneficiary · Created On: 2025-10-28T07:00:00Z
Liabilities
Interests
- Nature Of Liability: Mortgage on Warwick Property Second Mortgage on Warwick Property Credit Card · Creditor: Westpac Westpac Warwick
Investments
Interests
- Type Of Investment: Superannuation · Body Of Which Investment Is Held: Australian Super
Savings Or Investment Accounts
Interests
- Nature Of Account: Savings Savings · Name Of Bank Institution: Westpac NAB
Other Assets
Interests
- Name Of Other Asset: Landrover Defender Daimler
Other Income
Interests
- Name Of Income: Income from Farmstay
Gifts
Interests
- Detail Of Gifts: Membership of Qantas Chairmans Lounge
- Detail Of Gifts: Membership of Virgin Club
- Detail Of Gifts: Foxtel in Electorate Office - ASTRA
Sponsored Travel Or Hospitality
Alterations
- Alteration Type: Addition · Details: Ticket and Hospitality from Cricket Australia for attendance at the Ashes Test in Brisbane on 5 December 2025 · Created On: 2025-12-16T08:00:00Z
- Alteration Type: Addition · Details: Parliamentary Delegation to Taiwan 17 - 21 October - sponsored by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia All flights, accommodation, domestic transport and meals · Created On: 2025-10-28T07:30:00Z
Other Interest
Interests
- Nature Of Interest: General Membership of Institute of Public Affairs
- Nature Of Interest: Membership of Brisbane Club
- Nature Of Interest: Membership of Isolated Childrens Parents Assoc Queensland
- Nature Of Interest: Membership of Queensland Irish Club
- Nature Of Interest: Membership of Warwick Club
- Nature Of Interest: Life Membership of Glengallan Homestead Trust
Salary
We estimate James McGrath received a parliamentary salary of: $239,270
Based on the Remuneration Tribunal base salary of $239,270 plus any additional allowance for ministerial, shadow or office-holder roles held at time of generation.
Expenditure
- Latest quarter total: $203,937
- Office Consumables and Services: $8,135
- Printing and Communications: $20,118
- Publications: $1,693
- Travel Allowance: $7,545
- Private-Plated Vehicle: $18,560
- Parking: $2,092
- COMCAR: $2,087
- Telecommunications - Usage: $325
- Telecommunications - Residential - Official: $156
- Parliamentary Duties: $912
- Fares: $26,013
- Scheduled Commercial Transport: $2,389
- Domestic Travel: $75,162
- Office Facilities - Not stated: $38,748
Latest Guardian Articles
- Liberals say ‘all options’ should be considered despite Angus Taylor hosing down gender quota proposal
- Pauline Hanson’s speech ‘shameful’ and echoed ‘rubbish’ from rightwing figures in UK and US, critics say
- Andrew Hastie accuses Pauline Hanson of being ‘Maga first’ – as it happened
- Labor MP tells Coalition to ‘stop running scare campaigns’ over CGT changes – as it happened
- Communications minister Anika Wells repays $10,000 in incorrect travel expenses
- Greens urge Labor to stop treating children detained in Syria camp like ‘disposable political pawns’ – as it happened
- Labor approves 4.41% increase for health insurance premiums – as it happened
- Thousands gather at Melbourne Herzog protest – as it happened
- Liberal party on brink of dumping first female leader with Taylor’s backers confident of defeating Ley
- Support builds for Angus Taylor after launching Liberal party leadership challenge against Sussan Ley
Conversation Articles
- Blame game as government forced to filibuster to fill Senate work gap (2016-09-12)
The Turnbull government was caught out by not having any legislation for the Senate to consider. - Government senator urges sale of ABC city properties (2019-06-20)
Following similar comments by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, a senator has called for the ABC to sell its Ultimo headquarters and move to the suburbs and regional centres. - Politics with Michelle Grattan: Sussan Ley on Barnaby’s defection and how the environment law deal ‘fell apart’ (2025-11-27)
Ley says the Opposition was negotiating on the environment laws with the government into early Thursday – just before Labor announced a deal with the Greens. - Parliamentary electoral committee floats bigger parliament, longer terms and no byelections (2020-12-10)
A government-dominated parliamentary committee has recommended the voting system for federal elections should become optional preferential and pre-polling should be reduced from three to two weeks. - Anika Wells refers herself to independent watchdog over expenses affair (2025-12-09)
The embattled communications minister’s $95,000 flights to New York, among other travel perks and expenses, will be investigated. - View from The Hill: It’s the internal agitators who are bugging Scott Morrison on Adani (2019-04-08)
Some from the Queensland LNP, including Matt Canavan, and Barnaby Joyce, are screaming for Environment Minister Melissa Price to act; southern Liberals are praying she doesn’t. - Flood of frontbench resignations as Liberals prepare for Friday leadership showdown (2026-02-12)
A bevy of Liberal frontbenchers supporting Angus Taylor’s leadership challenge resigned their positions on Thursday, ahead of Friday’s 9am party vote. - Nuclear becomes latest round in energy wars (2019-08-04)
The government has asked a parliamentary committee to examine the issue and report on it by the end of 2019. - Opposition starts on challenge of crafting (yet another) energy policy (2025-06-25)
Sussan Ley at her first address to the National Press Club announced the plans to craft a new energy policy despite the deep divides within her party. - Sussan Ley fills frontbench holes temporarily, giving a brief window for Nationals to rethink Coalition split (2026-01-30)
With a final reshuffle of the shadow ministry put off for another week, Ley has left the door for political reunification firmly open. - Leeds Beckett University
Dr James McGrath’s book Naming Adult Autism: Culture, Science, Identity is published in paperback in spring 2019 by Rowman & Littlefield International. The book explores portrayals of adult autism… - Morrison government approves next step towards Adani coal mine (2019-04-09)
The decision, taken by Price, comes after public pressure from Queensland LNP members, including a threat by McGrath to publicly call for her resignation if she failed to treat the project fairly. - Albanese increases majority and Dutton loses seat in stunning election landslide (2025-05-03)
Albanese has won a landslide victory at the 2025 election, in a major upset for the Coalition. - ‘It’s our ABC’ (2014-08-15)
On the day that the ABC released the results of a Newspoll survey on attitudes to the corporation, managing director Mark Scott addressed students at QUT with the message, ‘It’s our ABC’! ‘Us’ being the… - Dutton camp presses for quick second leadership ballot (2018-08-22)
Rumours circulated last night about the number of names that had been gathered for the petition for the meeting, which requires 43 signatures. - Student protests show Australian education does get some things right (2018-12-05)
Far from proof of a flawed education system, politically active school students are evidence our education system is working well. - Why voter ID requirements could exclude the most vulnerable citizens, especially First Nations people (2021-11-08)
The Morrison government has recently proposed the requirement for registered voters to show ID prior to casting their vote at the polling booth on election day. potentially further disenfranchise vulnerable people of society who don’t have access to the ID documents required, particularly First Nations people - Fierravanti-Wells resigns from ministry, accusing Turnbull of ignoring Liberal party’s conservative base (2018-08-21)
In her resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Fierravanti-Wells reminded him that months ago she had told him Peter Dutton should become deputy Liberal leader, replacing Julie Bishop. - View from the Hill: Liberals and Nationals patch things up and announce a shadow ministry (2025-05-28)
As the Coalition re-forms, tensions are still running high in the Nationals. - View from The Hill: Angus Taylor appoints Tim Wilson as part of a new-look Liberal economic team (2026-02-17)
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has appointed Tim Wilson to go head-to-head as shadow treasurer against the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers. - Grattan on Friday: Ken Wyatt juggles identity and politics (2019-10-31)
As the first Indigenous federal cabinet minister, Ken Wyatt is widely respected in first peoples communities, but by the same token, the expectations on him are very high. - Leeds Beckett University
Dr James McGrath’s book Naming Adult Autism: Culture, Science, Identity is published in paperback in spring 2019 by Rowman & Littlefield International. The book explores portrayals of adult autism… - Major rebuff to Malcolm Turnbull as poll result hovers on knife-edge (2016-07-02)
The federal election result is on a knife-edge, with the outcome between a majority Turnbull government and a hung parliament. - Change or die: how the Liberal Party’s long resistance to reform has left it fighting for life (2026-08-02)
The Liberals never gave members the same scope to be involved and influence policy as Labor did. Now, they are paying the price for it. - Grattan on Friday: The art of walking, forwards and backwards, and some thoughts on Brandis (2017-03-02)
Malcolm Turnbull will overfly Western Australia twice next week, when he makes a brief dash to Indonesia to attend a conference of Indian Ocean Rim leaders. - Funny, that: why humour is a hit-and-miss affair on the election campaign trail (2019-05-09)
Political humour, like all humour, carries an innate risk: if it works, it can be spectacular, and it it tanks, it can be a catastrophe. Australian election campaigns have given us both. - Not all autistic people are good at maths and science – despite the stereotypes (2019-04-03)
Autistic and artistic, you can be both. - Black Snow, a new pacy murder mystery, addresses the complicated legacy of slavery in Australia (2022-12-26)
Black Snow, a six-part drama on Stan, puts the stories of Australian South Sea Islanders in frame. - This tiny minority of Iraqis follows an ancient Gnostic religion – and there’s a chance they could be your neighbors too (2021-06-21)
Mandaeans are followers of ancient Gnostic religion, whose traditional homeland was the region of Iraq and Iran. Today, this small minority lives in many parts of the world, including the US. - An open letter to Australia’s Education Minister Dan Tehan — signed by 73 senior professors (2020-07-21)
More than 70 of Australia’s Laureate professors have signed a letter to the minister for education, Dan Tehan, outlining the flaws in the proposed university reforms. - An open letter from 1,200 Australian academics on the Djab Wurrung trees (2020-11-04)
After the Directions Tree was cut down last week, Australian academics - both Indigenous and non-Indigenous - have come together in ‘sorrow and anger’. - ‘Dates add nothing to our culture’: Everywhen explores Indigenous deep history, challenging linear, colonial narratives (2023-03-08)
A fascinating new collection of essays explores Indigenous deep histories and conceptions of time, showing pre-colonial Australia’s rich human past. - Leeds Beckett University
Dr James McGrath’s book Naming Adult Autism: Culture, Science, Identity is published in paperback in spring 2019 by Rowman & Littlefield International. The book explores portrayals of adult autism…
