http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/amanda-rishworth/ Amanda Rishworth was born and educated in Adelaide, attending state schools before studying at Flinders University. She later graduated with a Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Adelaide. Before becoming a Member of Parliament, Amanda was a practising Psychologist and worked with General Practitioners in the delivery of mental health care to the community. Amanda also worked as a training co-ordinator, educating retail employees about industrial rights and occupational health and safety. Amanda has a long-standing involvement in the community which has included many years as a volunteer swimming instructor and surf lifesaver. During her studies Amanda worked as a sales assistant and developed a strong interest in workplace fairness. She later worked as an advocate for retail workers in the southern suburbs, protecting people’s rights in their workplaces. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/naysayer-abbotts-plan-is-no-alternative/ The Labor Government’s carbon pricing plans have come under fire again, with polls showing most Australians think they’ll be losing out - but does the Liberal Government have an alternative plan? Last night Q and A showed a clip of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott convincingly arguing that a carbon tax could work… Here, Amanda Rishworth casts her eye over Tony Abbott’s Direct Action Plan. In recent weeks Tony Abbott has stepped up his hysterical tour of dry cleaning services, cereal factories, fish markets and even nappy factories to tout the potential increase in cost of living pressures under a carbon price. However, during these visits he pointedly avoids making any mention of his own climate change policy - a policy which Professor Ross Garnaut has said in his recent report will cost more and do less. Tony Abbott continues to mount his fear campaign about the Government’s plan to price carbon in the Parliament, and yet you would be hard pressed to recall him ever mentioning his own plan. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Amanda Rishworth) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/naysayer-abbotts-plan-is-no-alternative/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/naysayer-abbotts-plan-is-no-alternative/#item6014 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:30:43 +0000 Amanda Rishworth | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/fri-amanda-rishworth-on-food-labelling/ Walking down the aisle of the average supermarket, the local shopper is bombarded with labels claiming a whole range of virtues including the Australian-ness of their product. “Manufactured in Australia”, “Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients” and “Australian Owned” are just some of the catchcries that food manufactures use to get our attention and convince us to buy their product. This is an effective marketing tool, evidenced by explosions of claims on labels that line our supermarket shelves. But as always the devil is in the detail. Or - when it comes to food labelling - the devil is in the definition. Australian consumers want to buy Australian-grown food not only to support Australian farmers but also because they have confidence in the standard and quality of food products grown and packaged in their own backyard. Often the Australian-ness catchcries touted on food labels are not clear and can be extremely misleading, making it difficult for the consumer to determine which part, if any, of the product was indeed grown in Australia. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Amanda Rishworth) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/fri-amanda-rishworth-on-food-labelling/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/fri-amanda-rishworth-on-food-labelling/#item5225 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:30:08 +0000 Amanda Rishworth | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/opposing-river-reform-puts-us-on-a-slow-boat-to-nowhere/ The release of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s guide to the Basin Plan has ignited discussion about how we manage this critical system for the long term. It has been disappointing to see over recent weeks the Coalition now walking away from reform in the basin, reform that even the previous Howard Government saw as necessary. Coalition members are now arguing that taking action in the basin will be tantamount to choosing the environment over rural communities. This argument is based on a false dichotomy. Reforming the Murray Darling system is not a choice between the interests of producers and the environment- reform is in the interest of all those who rely on this vital river system, to secure its long-term health and viability. Indeed the aim of the Water Act is to manage our water resources in such a way as to optimise environmental, economic and social outcomes. The worst thing that could happen for everyone in the Basin, whether it’s someone who cares about the environmental assets of the river system or a farmer wanting to continue to make a sustainable living, is for the Government to do nothing. An unmanaged and unhealthy water supply is no use to anyone. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Amanda Rishworth) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/opposing-river-reform-puts-us-on-a-slow-boat-to-nowhere/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/opposing-river-reform-puts-us-on-a-slow-boat-to-nowhere/#item4381 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:45:04 +0000 Amanda Rishworth | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/school-building-program-amanda-rishworth/ The Liberals continue to peddle misinformation about the Building the Education Revolution building program. To hear them talk, schools are having slipshod buildings they don’t want foist upon them. But out in the real world, state of the art school libraries, halls and gyms are opening all around the country. The most comprehensive school modernisation effort in the country’s history is taking place in bricks and mortar. Since the introduction of the economic stimulus package, I have heard a lot about the benefits of the building program. But it wasn’t until I recently attended the opening of a new facility in Adelaide’s outer suburbs just what a difference these facilities will make. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Amanda Rishworth) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/school-building-program-amanda-rishworth/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/school-building-program-amanda-rishworth/#item2721 Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:50:14 +0000 Amanda Rishworth | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-should-kids-be-exposed-to-videos-like-this/ We all know that sex sells. Some of the earliest tobacco advertising featured stylised drawings of starlets inserted in cigarette packs. Sexy images of women are used to sell everything, from cars to spring water to internet access.Many such ads are targeted at men, but ads for products aimed at women are often similar. Not only are sexually provocative images of women used to advertise, but they are routinely featured on television, music video clips, movies and even toys.  While adults are better equipped to deal with the bombardment of sexualised content, we need to stop to consider the impact it has on children. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Amanda Rishworth) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-should-kids-be-exposed-to-videos-like-this/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-should-kids-be-exposed-to-videos-like-this/#item2258 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:59:26 +0000 Amanda Rishworth | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-health-risks-from-climate-change/ While there is a lot of heat surrounding the climate change debate, one issue that has received less public attention is the impact of global warming on our health. Adelaide is currently experiencing a record breaking heatwave and has been on catastrophic fire danger alert, and this even is before summer has even begun. These events provide a timely reminder of the consequences of extreme weather on the health and safety of the population. With global warming, inevitably we will suffer more heatwaves with longer and hotter summers. Australia - more than almost any other country- will be vulnerable to climate change-related illness and death. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Amanda Rishworth) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-health-risks-from-climate-change/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-health-risks-from-climate-change/#item1797 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:25:01 +0000 Amanda Rishworth | Author bios | The Punch