Sophie Mirabella
Sophie grew up working in the family milk bar from the age of 12. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with Bachelor degrees in Law and Commerce and a Masters degree in Law. Before entering Parliament Sophie was a barrister at chambers in Melbourne and Wangaratta.
Sophie maintains a high profile and is active in local communities across all of Indi - a large and diverse electorate of some 28,000 square kilometres. Sophie holds membership of a number of local community groups such as patron of the Bandiana Army Museum, patron of the Beechworth and District Pistol Club Inc., and a sponsor of the Albury/Wodonga National Servicemen’s Association newsletter.
Sophie married Greg Mirabella in June 2006, and the couple welcomed their daughter Alexandra Mary in July 2008.
The family, including Greg’s 2 daughters from his previous marriage, live on their rural property at Wangaratta East.
In September 2008 Sophie was appointed Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare, Women & Youth by the Leader of the Opposition, Hon Malcolm Turnbull.
Articles by Sophie Mirabella
Rubbery figures and the Ghosts of Budgets Past
Amidst all the presents, food and rowdy family gatherings, Christmas has also traditionally been a time for pause and reflection.…... Read more
To be fair we need to stop people dumping on Australia
President Barack Obama’s speech to the Australian Parliament, like those of his predecessors, was indeed an historic occasion. Amidst the…... Read more
Hey sheep, Joyce is just a scapegoat
Alan Joyce seems to have copped the ire of just about everyone because he was the bloke announcing Saturday’s decision…... Read more
Protesters occupied with glib, childish, pointless fantasy
This Saturday the self-described “organic” Occupy Wall Street movement will be coming to a capital city near you. They boldly…... Read more
The oddity of Beattie’s ruddy “Dear Kev” letter
We’ve seen a lot of political oddity courtesy of this Labor crew – a first-term PM knifed and crying in…... Read more
At home with a PM who’s lost all of Australia’s respect
Perhaps the most damaging outcome of all the dysfunction wrought by the Gillard Government is the shocking loss of respect…... Read more
You journos are the freaks, not us carbon protestors
This week the right to peaceful public assembly got a bit of a battering. And those wielding the sticks were…... Read more
The NBN is as useful as those newfangled Beta tapes
Remember those rabid Beta-tape aficionados of the late 70s and early 80s? You know, the ones who swore they had…... Read more
Here’s to mateship, courage, endurance and sacrifice
While the media last week fixated on the political “divide” in Australia, with vastly divergent views expressed on the carbon…... Read more
Another week, another new Labor fiasco
When the sun rose yesterday morning, optimistic Federal Labor MPs must have woken up thinking: “Monday morning – time for…... Read more
Labor is carrying on like a pack of pork chops
The high political farce of the last few days is unprecedented. Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd are tearing each other…... Read more
A carbon price? Tell ‘em they’re dreaming
So the left-wing apologists from Get Up and the ACTU are now imploring us to just “say yes” to Labor’s…... Read more
Now let’s talk about what wasn’t in the budget
Many of Australia’s brightest researchers and innovators will gather in Brisbane this week for the annual conference of the Cooperative…... Read more
Our kids are getting adult content instead of fairytales
Child health experts told a Sydney conference last week that children as young as six are displaying inappropriate sexual behaviour…... Read more
Child protection - a tale of two Australias
So the government is moving to “protect” errant toddlers in the suburbs from the naughty corner and spare them from…... Read more
Labor’s tax cuts just bread and circuses
What will Labor come up with next? What grab bag of goodies will be used to distract voters from the…... Read more
Don’t address the concern, shoot the critic
It’s a strategy that President Obama’s spin team employed when he was neck-deep in political hot water over an incredibly…... Read more
Howes will dump on anyone, except for Gillard
You’ve got to wonder how genuine Union boss Paul Howes’ latest headline-grabbing attempt to put himself centre-stage really is. He’s…... Read more
Labor is turning a blind eye to price hikes
Last weekend - while you were taking the kids to the beach, buying those extra back-to-school necessities, or for many,…... Read more
History tells us floods are natural
While devastating floodwaters recede in the north even as they rise in the south, Australians are understandably shocked by what…... Read more
The NBN still hasn’t brought the promised sunshine
So much for opening the curtains and letting the sunshine in. The last few weeks of the Federal Parliamentary year…... Read more
What Gillard could learn from Obama’s mistakes
The parallels between US politics and ours provide interesting lessons. Just as we saw an historic swing against a one-term…... Read more
Recent PMs haven’t risen to fill Lazarus’s shoes
As Lazarus rose (albeit for a book launch) this week, the gaping leadership chasm that has been the Prime Ministership…... Read more
How would Chifley judge modern Labor?
This week Labor launched the latest incarnation in their constant quest to re-write history and glorify their role in it.…... Read more
An unstable parliament is not a free pass for Gillard
So let’s get this Labor-style new paradigm straight. Because so many people rejected Labor policy at the ballot box, because…... Read more
The lesson from the new paradigm: less is more
Many conclusions have been made about the “new paradigm” of Australian politics. Much has been written of the rise of…... Read more
Introducing Labor’s new faction – the Greens
The Greens are now officially the far-left faction of the Australian Labor Party. They have been signed, sealed and delivered…... Read more
Liberal diary: “Foolya Joolia” not all she seems
Note: Labor MP Richard Marles and Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella are among our favourite contributors to The Punch, and we…... Read more
Liberal diary: Labor’s ruthless robotic machine
Note: Labor MP Richard Marles and Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella are among our favourite contributors to The Punch, and we…... Read more
Liberal diary: Spin master still in control
Note: Labor MP Richard Marles and Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella are among our favourite contributors to The Punch, and we…... Read more
Liberal diary: Would the real Julia Gillard please stand up
Just a month ago Julia Gillard declared that the Labor Government had “lost its way”. This past week proves that…... Read more
Liberal diary: Julia’s moving forward at $100m a day
Note: Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella and Labor MP Richard Marles are among our favourite contributors to The Punch, and we…... Read more
Labor should have learned its lesson on messiahs
Remember Kevin from Queensland who was “here to help”? Pre-election 2007 the Australian public were given a rock-solid guarantee that…... Read more
Historic first, or just a re-run of history
There would be greater reason to celebrate our first female Prime Minister, were it not for Labor factional warlords using…... Read more
Cultural tolerance is no excuse for harming kids
Last week I gave birth to my second child – another beautiful daughter. Like most new mothers, in between the…... Read more
A cycle of illogical decisions
At the outset I declare that I am unashamedly pro-bike. Cycling is a great sport, a clean form of transport,…... Read more
Mining tax makes a meal of our future
It’s becoming apparent that the Rudd Government has slaughtered the goose that laid the golden egg – all for one…... Read more
Ethics classes for Labor pollies and their appointees
The NSW Government is currently trialling Ethics classes for students in year 5 as an alternative to the Religious Education…... Read more
Population: Labor welcomes 15 million new homebuyers
So we now have an official “Population Minister” to front Kevin Rudd’s mega-Australia vision of a hugely expanded population of…... Read more
Rudd’s Yes Minister plan
The most telling part of the Health debate this week was when a journalist questioned Kevin Rudd about the fact…... Read more
I am woman, no comment.
Where are the women warriors on Paid Maternity Leave? The most extensive, economically significant policy proposal to support working women…... Read more
Online tributes a hollow imitation of genuine grief
As a new recruit to Facebook, I admit I was not exactly on the first-wave of the online social networking…... Read more
Hollowmen and shallow decisions
It’s fairly clear to anyone who watched Kevin Rudd on the ABC’s Q & A this week that a group…... Read more
How can we legislate against loveless and lawless parents?
The recent call by Dr John Irvine to consider charging parents for crimes committed by children under the age of…... Read more
Beware the electoral Santa bearing gifts
There’s a high-risk derivative of the time-honoured “Secret Santa” that has become quite popular in recent years. All the carefully…... Read more
The mirror ‘Messiahs’ dogged by bad policy
While Kevin Rudd desperately reschedules his attendance at the Copenhagen Summit in a craven attempt to ensure he’s in the…... Read more
Why I quit shadow ministry and won’t back Labor’s ETS
The honour of being elected as a member of the Federal Parliament carries with it very serious responsibilities. Each of…... Read more
Tough on crime is an empty slogan for ALP
The ability of Prime Minister Rudd and his Government to “talk tough” has never been in question. It’s the one…... Read more
The fear making mothers invisible
Life’s about film stars and less about mothers. It’s all about fast cars and cussing each other. But it doesn’t…... Read more
Stay-at-home parents left out in the cold by Treasury
In a speech last month, our outspoken Treasury Secretary Ken Henry referred to the hitherto unknown but enticingly-titled “Treasury well…... Read more
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New speaker’s slack clobber, old speaker clobbers slackers
Peter Slipper, draped in black in a manner most young voters will not see outside Hogwarts, has dramatically…
Snappy 60th birthday to our most fun newspaper
Life is far from dull in the Northern Territory. Or if it is, we’ll never know. And that’s…
There’s no evidence sex-for-cab-fares is a trend
Fifteen years ago when one of your girlfriends had a few too many Illusion shots standard practice was…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: City vs country: What would you change your life for?
Dieter Moeckel says:
We made the tree change from Darwin to Wonbah more than 15 years ago. After fencing, a road, and couple of dams our money was gone. Super is enough to live comfortably. We have geese growing old and stringy the only one that made it to the pot committed Kamakazi by flying into a tree; the chooks are… [read more]From: I’d rather have a piece of toast than listen to crap lyrics
Erick says:
Led Zeppelin are responsible for my all-time favourite mixed metaphor: "There you sit, sit and stare, like a book on a shelf rusting." (Misty Mountain Hop) I laugh every time I hear it. Hmmm, I believe I've decided what to play on the way to work today. [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
No wuckin forries. These nuckin futs are tuckin fops
Well, puck me with a fitchfork. The F-word is apparently an acceptable part of Australian speech. That’s… Read more
