About us

Lucy has nursed her ambition to be a journalist since 1987 when at the age of seven she announced her intention to the family video camera with steely determination. Born in Victoria but raised in NSW, she worked in the subscription department of Murdoch Magazines before completing an undergraduate degree…Read more »

After being asked throughout his young life whether he was related to Tom Piotrowski, the Channel 10 CommSec guy (for the record: he’s not), Daniel Piotrowski chose to follow his namesake into the media. The Punch’s newest journalist, Daniel studied journalism and communications at the University of Technology, Sydney. There,…Read more »

Ant grew up in Canberra, largely avoiding the world of politics except for the occasions when he and his schoolmates from Telopea Park High would sneak off to the building site of “New Parliament House” to smoke ciggies. After graduating from Sydney Uni with a half-arsed degree from the economics…Read more »

Tory Shepherd studied anthropology, then travelled, then studied some more, then travelled, then ended up with a cadetship at The Advertiser in 2006. She covered police rounds, politics, general news and health, while working at The Punch on the side. Now Tory is working full time at The Punch. She…Read more »

Tory Maguire joined The Daily Telegraph in Sydney in 2000 as a Copy Girl – one of the last in the news room to answer to the name “Copy” and spend most of the day running to the shops to buy cigarettes for senior staff. After completing a cadetship in…Read more »

Dave grew up in Adelaide’s southern suburbs and attended a really nice public school, Marion High, which was subsequently bulldozed during the tyrannical reign of Liberal Premier Dean Brown. He fell into journalism while not studying law at the University of Adelaide. He joined The Adelaide Advertiser as a cadet…Read more »

Gail Gago is South Australia’s Minister for the Status of Women and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council. Read more »

Sean Fewster has been The Advertiser’s court reporter since 2002, and is the author of the bestselling book City of Evil: the truth about Adelaide’s strange and violent underbelly. As fascinated by law as he is science fiction, he is still waiting for the day suppression orders become extinct. Read more »

James Heathers is a research scientist and PhD candidate in psychophysiology at the University of Sydney. His work and research revolve broadly around the connection between the mind and body. He has worked in or around psychophysiology, social and cognitive psychology, exercise physiology and sports science, biomedical device design, human…Read more »

Professor of environmental change biology at the School for Plant Science, University of Tasmania. Read more »

Sue O’Reilly has worked around Australia and in the UK as a journalist for newspapers, television, radio and magazines. She was a full-time carer for her severely disabled son until he died last year, aged 21. In 2010, Sue co-founded a disability reform lobby group, Australians Mad as Hell, with…Read more »

Tony White has worked for Federal and State government MPs, premiers and ministers as an adviser or Chief of Staff. As an adviser to Victorian manufacturing ministers he worked on the investment attraction packages that secured the local production of Ford Territory, the Holden V6 and the latest model Camry.…Read more »

Simon O’Connor is the Economic Adviser at the Australian Conservation Foundation where he has been working for the last four years. He has worked for a decade in the areas of finance, economics and environment in Europe, Asia and Australia; as a responsible investment analyst for the pension fund industry,…Read more »

A lack of stimulation from Sydney’s leafy, outer suburbs drove Anna to journalism from an early age. Since starting a Journalism/International Studies (Japan) degree at UTS she has gradually been achieving her life’s goal of leading an exciting life, vicariously through her interviewees. Comparatively mild weather conditions in New South…Read more »

Dr Richard Di Natale is Victoria’s first Greens Senator. His portfolios include health, multiculturalism, gambling and sport. Prior to entering parliament Richard was a general practitioner and public health specialist. He worked in Aboriginal health in the Northern Territory, on HIV prevention in India and in the drug and alcohol…Read more »

Dai Le was a refugee from Vietnam arriving here after the end of the war. She stood as the Liberal candiate for the seat of Cabramatta at the October 2008 By Election and again at the March 26th State Election. Cabramatta was once a Labor strong-hold on 29 per cent.…Read more »

Tanya Plibersek was appointed to Minister for Health on 14 December 2011.  Tanya was elected to the Australian Parliament as the Federal Member for Sydney at the 1998 federal election. Tanya became a Shadow Minister after the 2004 federal election and for the next three years was responsible for a…Read more »

Tim Harcourt, The Airport Economist, is the J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics at the Australian School of Business at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Tim was also for over a decade the first chief economist of the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade). Tim is also an Adjunct Professor in…Read more »

James Norman is a Melbourne based journalist, author and communications coordinator for an international NGO. He has been widely published in the Australian media including The Age, The Australian, Financial Review, Herald Sun, etc. James is also an author published by Allen & Unwin. Read more »

Adam is a former chef studying journalism at UTS. He has a keen interest in politics, economics, food and sport, not necessarily in that order. Deep down he wants to run the country. He enjoys a hard day’s work and the finer things in life – wine, food and good…Read more »

Sam Butler is a sometime writer, most of the time subeditor and regular contributor to the Gay News Network (http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/). He also tweets quite a bit: @samsonjbutler Read more »

Tennille is a lawyer who practised in Sydney for over four years before moving to India to work for a non-governmental organisation in the area of police reforms. She briefly returned to Australia earlier this year to teach Criminal Law at the University of New South Wales and is now…Read more »

Thang Ngo (@thangngo) was a Fairfield Councillor (1999-2008).  He successfully lobbied for the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Cabramatta in 2000 that helped make the suburb a safer place.  He authored a 2002 Churchill Trust Fellowship report on strategies to improve the relationship between NSW Police and ethnic communities. These days…Read more »

Sara Hudson is a Research Fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies. Her research focuses on issues affecting Indigenous Australians and includes an examination of the Community Development Employment Program, 99-year leases and Indigenous homeownership, the lack of accountability in Indigenous health, and alcohol restrictions. Read more »

Kate McQuestin is publisher of http://www.motherpedia.com.au, a new online community for mums.  She has worked in media, public relations and government roles.  She is a mother of two and lives on Sydney’s northern beaches. Read more »

Tom Cummings is a gambling reform advocate and former poker machine addict. He blogs about his thoughts, experiences and observations at http://www.cyenne.com, and maintains the rage on Twitter as @cyenne40. Read more »

Tauto’s identity comes from being a South Australian Aboriginal man, born on Point Pearce Mission on the Yorke Peninsula of Narungga-Kaurna heritage, with family links on the West Coast of South Australia. Tauto has more than 30 years experience advocating for Aboriginal people in all areas of Aboriginal disadvantage. He…Read more »

David Rowe is Professor of Cultural Research in the Institute for Culture and Society, University of Western Sydney. He has published extensively in the areas of media and popular culture, especially sport, music and journalism. Prof Rowe has published many essays and commentaries on cultural and social matters in print,…Read more »

Wil Wallace is an historian, volunteer and writer. He was born in Adelaide at a hospital that is now a hotel and grew up in a house that is now part of another hospital; the realisation that the world is a confusing and bewildering place is a great inspiration in…Read more »

Paul Lucas is the Attorney-General, Minister for Local Government and Special Minister of State. Read more »

Peter Criss was a long-serving Royal Australian Air Force officer who rose to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal and served as Air Commander Australia in 1999 during the build-up and initial deployment of Australian military forces to East Timor. He was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) and the Air…Read more »

Nicole Madigan-Everest is a freelance writer, journalist and mother of two.  Nicole kicked off her journalism career a decade ago as a newspaper journalist with News LImited before switching to television,  reporting and presenting for Channel Nine. Nicole now writes for numerous national magazines and newspapers including Madison, Cleo, Practical…Read more »

Paul Kelly is parish priest of St Mary’s Catholic Parish in Maryborough, Queensland. LLB (hons); BEcon; BTh, Grad DipMin. Read more »

After growing up in Hong Kong, Isabelle Oderberg started her career in Melbourne briefly before moving to London and working in the financial trade press, then for Reuters and Dow Jones. She moved back to Australia in 2006 and was the mining writer for AAP before becoming the founding news…Read more »

Jacob Holman is a writer and broadcaster for JOY 94.9, and is currently based in Melbourne. He Tweets far too much at @JacobLeigh. Read more »

Christopher Bantick is a Melbourne writer. Read more »

Paul Syvret is a senior journalist and columnist for the Courier Mail. Read more »

Justine Toh is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity and an Honorary Associate of the Department of Media, Music and Cultural Studies at Macquarie University. Read more »

Lyndon Schneiders was appointed National Campaign Director for the Wilderness Society in 2011 following a stellar 18 years with the organisation, including 14 years as the Queensland Campaigns Manager. In 2006 he was named Wild Magazine’s Environmentalist of the Year. He pursued engagement with all sides - government, unions and…Read more »

Nicole Dungan is married with three children. She works from home as a product manager. She loves all creatures great and small and abhors animal cruelty. She is also really outspoken. She wrote this article with Debra Tranter, she writes to raise awareness of the puppy factory trade. She, along…Read more »

David has worked at The Advertiser for more than 20 years, having starting as a copy boy less than two weeks after his last Year 12 exam in 1989. Despite an entire reporting career spent in sport he maintains a passionate interest in opinion - particularly the starkly divergent positions…Read more »

Narrowly escaping* a life of domestic servitude, Sarah Furtner is now a Perth-based writer, stand-up comedian and avid social-networker. Sarah can be seen regularly performing around the numerous watering-holes of Perth, and often in other cities around the nation. When not on a plane, Sarah is often found in or…Read more »

Dr Oliver Marc Hartwich is a Research Fellow with the Economics Program at The Centre for Independent Studies. Read more »

Tom Chesson has worked as a Ministerial Adviser, journalist and communications officer at a State, Federal and International level and is currently the CEO of the National Irrigators’ Council. A highlight of his career has been the three years he spent as an Australian Volunteer living and working in south-east…Read more »

Jack Marx is a Walkley Award-winning journalist and author who has written for newspapers, magazines and online since 1992. He has just moved to Broken Hill to write a book about a 60-year-old murder mystery. His most recent book is Life and Times in the Republic of Broken Hill with…Read more »

Chris Harrison is a journalist, columnist and award-winning author. He has contributed to a variety of newspapers and magazines, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, The Courier Mail and Sports Illustrated.  After spending the past decade in Europe he made the logical move to Cairns, where he works for…Read more »

Erin is a freelance editor and occasional writer. She works in the ACT youth and community sectors, particularly in social policy and advocacy. While on maternity leave she became a little obsessed with voicing her opinions through social media as a way to engage with the world. Now it’s gone…Read more »

Melia Condon is a student at the University of Western Sydney and a member of the Global Voices Australian Youth Delegation to the UN climate negotiations in Durban. Read more »

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the US Secretary of State. Secretary Clinton has spent nearly four decades in the US public service. Before her appointment as Secretary of State in 2009, Clinton served as Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009 and as First Lady of the United States while…Read more »

Sam is a freelance writer and Journalism student, and the Brisbane-based Editor of Luna Music Magazine. He’s recently overcome a scarf addiction and is also a reformed photo-pouter. He has no pets, but his pet hate is Fifi Box. Read more »

Reverend Harry Herbert is Executive Director of UnitingCare NSW.ACT, a position he has held since 1986. Since this time Rev Herbert has been a strong public voice on issues of injustice in society and actively advocates on behalf of the service users of UnitingCare. UnitingCare NSW/ACT services include aged care…Read more »

Garry’s Uncle Harry died in the battle of Fromelles at 17. He lied about his age. He has no known grave. Garry gave a DNA sample as did two of my cousins but he was not one of the discovered at Pheasant Wood. My great uncle received a Military Medal…Read more »

Kevin Hawkins is a freelance writer and Media student at the University of Melbourne. He is a columnist for Farrago and blogs at http://kevman.wordpress.com. Read more »

RiAus Director Dr Paul Willis is probably best known for his 14-year career as a science broadcaster with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  As well as presenting and producing on ABC television science shows Quantum and Catalyst, Paul has also been involved with numerous ABC television and radio science and current…Read more »

Journalism student, part-time nanny, former ski instructor and Punch intern Read more »