Border protection and foreign interference top priority, says James Paterson

Incoming opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson says border protection will be among his highest-ranking priorities.

Liberal senator James Paterson is the new opposition home affairs spokesman. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Incoming opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson says border protection will be among his highest-ranking priorities, accusing Labor of encouraging people smuggling boats to start again by offering a pathway for people on permanent protection visas.

Senator Paterson has long established himself as the Liberal Party’s most hawkish security attack dog and vocal opponent to Chinese influence, running a fierce campaign advocating against foreign interference, cyber crime and strengthening Australia’s national security.

The national security firebrand, who made a name for himself chairing the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, said held concerns about the government’s decision to provide a permanent pathway for Temporary Protection Visa holders to stay in Australia.

“It was a very significant achievement of the former government to stop the people-smuggling trade and to stop the human trafficking that was taking place in our region by people coming to Australia by boat which put them in great danger and opened them up to significant exploitation,” he said.

“This government has started to unwind some of the successful elements of operation sovereign border policy, including temporary protection visas.

“That is a real risk that the boats will start again. I really hope that they don’t, I hope that doesn’t happen but it is a risk because of the changes the government made.”

Senator Paterson also flagged that foreign interference – including his concerns about social media platform TikTok which has significant links to China – would continue to guide him, saying that it was at a higher level today than it had been at the height of the Cold War.

He said he was open to further bans on TikTok for the ­general population after the government announced a ban on having the app on government devices earlier this month, as the China-based company gave no indication it was “sincere” about tackling technology concerns.

“I think we need to keep that option on the table while looking for other solutions that are less severe than a complete ban,” he said. “The US are certainly entertaining it as a serious option if they cannot resolve this issue in another way.

“It speaks volumes that the government decided to ban TikTok on government devices, but that leaves millions of Australians who use the app completely unprotected – so I think all options need to be on the table.”

He also holds similar concerns about Chinese messaging app WeChat.