Canberra – Liberal Senator for Victoria and Coalition campaign spokesperson James Paterson defended his party’s recent policy backflips and outlined key planks of its election platform in a lively interview with ABC Radio Melbourne’s Raf Epstein.
Facing criticism that the Opposition is panicking and unclear on core policy directions, Paterson insisted that the Coalition’s decision to abandon proposed work-from-home changes for Commonwealth public servants was a case of “listening to the Australian people.”
“Politicians get things wrong. We are human. We’ve heard what people said and we’ve agreed to change it,” Paterson said. “I think that’s what adults should do.”
The Coalition has faced mounting scrutiny over its shifting positions, particularly around public service cuts and migration settings. Epstein pressed Paterson on whether the $7 billion savings target from reducing 41,000 public servants remains intact.
Paterson confirmed it does, clarifying the reduction would occur through a hiring freeze and natural attrition, not forced redundancies—a detail he acknowledged had not been previously communicated clearly.
“We only released our public service policy today,” Paterson noted, defending the Coalition’s staggered policy rollouts during the campaign period. “Australians have busy lives. We’re outlining policies in a digestible way.”
On migration, the Coalition plans to cut international student numbers by 80,000 annually, 30,000 more than Labor's proposal, citing the impact of international arrivals on housing and rental markets.
“It’s not the fault of international students,” Paterson said, “but our migration policy settings have not worked. We’ve seen a 65% increase in student numbers since Labor took office.”
However, the Coalition has yet to provide a net overseas migration target, prompting Epstein to question whether voters have enough information before early voting begins.
“We’ve provided substantial detail,” Paterson responded. “And we will release the remainder before election day. It’s standard practice in a campaign.”
Addressing growing public comparisons between Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and former U.S. President Donald Trump, Paterson dismissed the link as “irresponsible” and politically motivated.
“Peter Dutton is a traditional centre-right Liberal,” he said. “Weaponising Donald Trump in a domestic context doesn’t help us negotiate with the United States on matters like tariff exemptions.”
Paterson also downplayed concerns about polling, declaring the election “too close to call” and saying Australians will ultimately assess whether they can afford “another three years of Anthony Albanese.”
As the campaign heats up, all eyes remain on whether the Coalition’s recalibrated policies and message discipline can cut through with voters—and whether further changes lie ahead.
