http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/matt-beard/ Matt Beard graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) from the University of Notre Dame, Australia in 2010, having completed a thesis on the relationship between luck and happiness. He is currently Research Associate with the Centre for Faith, Ethics and Society at Notre Dame, as well as the Junior Editor for Solidarity: The Journal for Catholic Social Thought and Secular Ethics. Matt’s expertise lies generally in the area of moral philosophy, but his interested in all areas of study. He is also the current holder of the Morris Research Scholarship at Notre Dame, where he is completing his PhD: a new interpretation of military ethics. Matt is passionate about both codes of rugby, young people, philosophy, and purchasing never-to-be-read books on Amazon. He can usually be found anywhere that keeps him away from his thesis. Follow him on @mattbeard89. 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/abbotts-nanny-proposal-isnt-supercalifragilisticexpialidocious/ In the latest in a series of ‘pro-family’ initiatives that begun with a new paid-parental scheme, Tony Abbott is now suggesting changes to the childcare rebate, wanting to extend it to nannies in order to allow more flexibility. Basically, Abbott wants more families to have subsidised access to childcare - sounds great! And, specifics aside, it’s a great idea. Single-parent families and families where both parents work will have more childcare options under the scheme. Parents would no longer need to seek out certified childcare agencies to enrol their children into – agencies that are often expensive and too popular to actually satisfy demand. They can work with any nanny they are comfortable with, allowing them to go out and work. A nanny gets paid, a job gets filled, two jobs are created and Aussie families don’t have to foot the bill. A recipe for a stronger economy. Not bad, Tony. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Matt Beard) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbotts-nanny-proposal-isnt-supercalifragilisticexpialidocious/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/abbotts-nanny-proposal-isnt-supercalifragilisticexpialidocious/#item8098 Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:50:49 +0000 Matt Beard | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-biggest-bigots-are-the-buggers-who-blame-bigotry/ “Opinions are like orgasms: mine matters most, and I don’t care if you have one.” I’m not sure where I first read this, but it seems to typify public debate in Australia, where opposing parties love to discredit an argument by giving it a label: racist, sexist, chauvinist, insensitive, homophobe, ignorant… In philosophy classes, this type of argument was called an ad hominem, and it’s only reward was an F, but in public debate it’s a timesaver, a cheap political point. Remember when Bill Heffernan questioned Gillard’s leadership because she was “deliberately barren”? Same deal. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Matt Beard) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-biggest-bigots-are-the-buggers-who-blame-bigotry/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-biggest-bigots-are-the-buggers-who-blame-bigotry/#item7568 Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:54:50 +0000 Matt Beard | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-dont-expect-much-of-youth-so-thats-what-we-get/ In an interview discussing his increasing philanthropy late last year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg noted that “when you give everyone a voice and give people power, the system usually ends up in a really good place. So, what we view our role as, is giving people that power.” Facebook, for Zuckerberg, has a role to play in power systems. It can be a political tool for leaders. And he’s right, but only conditionally; a number of other groups need to come to the party before we can consider social media a tool for good. I spent a recent weekend helping Year 11 students understand what it means to be a leader, and I can safely say that I don’t share the pessimism about our future that the majority of headlines concerning ‘young Australians’ seems to show. But nor can I say in good conscience that the future is all roses. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Matt Beard) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-dont-expect-much-of-youth-so-thats-what-we-get/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-dont-expect-much-of-youth-so-thats-what-we-get/#item6965 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:55:14 +0000 Matt Beard | Author bios | The Punch