He has been a Liberal member of the South Australian House of Assembly since the 2018 state election, representing the Electoral district of Morphett.

[5] While he only won 41 percent of the primary vote, McFetridge's preferences flowed overwhelmingly to him, allowing him to easily reclaim the seat for the Liberals.

Originally from South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club Norwood, Patterson was used mostly as a rover at Collingwood.

Patterson gathered three Brownlow Medal votes from Collingwood's win over North Melbourne in the final home and away match of the 1997 season.

Patterson is an active member of the Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club, undertaking regular patrols along Adelaide's coastline.