http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/sophie-trevitt/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2013 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +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/coal-shmoal.-we-have-767-wind-farms-and-one-hot-sun/ In the mid-eighteenth century, coal engines did not only power factories and illuminate streets; they fired up entire nations. Burning coal allowed for material production to explode. It facilitated the development of the quintessential assembly line necessary to produce building materials like iron to build infrastructure and allowed for the mass production boom. Burning coal allowed goods to be transported across countries and saw diaspora from pastoralist lifestyles to the thick smog of the city for employment. In 1863 Sydneysiders saw electricity in action for the first time with the illumination of a battery powered lamp on Observatory Hill in celebration of the marriage of the Prince of Wales. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coal-shmoal.-we-have-767-wind-farms-and-one-hot-sun/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/coal-shmoal.-we-have-767-wind-farms-and-one-hot-sun/#item10131 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:45:08 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-message-should-we-be-sending-to-the-aliens/ It’s an awesome concept – a probe sent from Earth into the Milky Way with messages of peace for any alien life that may be encountered outside our solar system. We sent them love songs and concertos and messages of peace as a demonstration of humanity. We sent them a demonstration of humanity at its highest – our moments of brilliance, of unity and of selflessness. Last week, the Voyager celebrated its 35th anniversary of its launch to explore Saturn and Jupiter. Now, it is at the cusp of our solar system, on the brink of exiting the celestial realm that we are familiar with and launching into interstellar territory. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-message-should-we-be-sending-to-the-aliens/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-message-should-we-be-sending-to-the-aliens/#item9510 Tue, 18 Sep 2012 19:35:25 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/PM-breaks-Olympic-record-with-unprecedented-backflip/ One of the most dramatic political back flips ever performed has just passed the House of Representatives, after the Gillard Government and the Opposition voted in favour of reopening immigration detention centres for offshore processing of asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island. If it makes it through the Senate, which the Prime Minister is hoping to have done by tomorrow afternoon, it’s the first step towards the implementation of Angus Houston’s “hard headed but not hard hearted” plan. It will take Australia straight back to John Howard’s “Pacific Solution” – a regime which until a few days ago Julia Gillard vehemently opposed. So what exactly did the Angus Houston, Paris Aristotle and Michael L’Strange recommend? The first problem with the Panel’s report is its underlying “no advantage” principle which intends to ensure that “no benefit is gained through circumnavigating regular migration arrangements”. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/PM-breaks-Olympic-record-with-unprecedented-backflip/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/PM-breaks-Olympic-record-with-unprecedented-backflip/#item9234 Wed, 15 Aug 2012 03:55:06 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Its-not-unethical-to-spend-billions-on-space-exploration/ A friend posted on Facebook today: “When I was a little girl I loved learning about space, solar systems, planets, walking on the moon. But when I grew up I learnt how much space exploration costs and how many people here are sick, hungry, abused. Now I see no justification for funding our curiosity until we improve life on earth” Yesterday I spoke to another friend who was beside himself with excitement at this extraordinary pursuit of knowledge, and the incredibly feat that we – mere blips in the great expanse of the universe – have landed Curiosity on Mars. There are the heartbreaking questions that come alongside the expansion of human understanding, that come with doing things that have never been done before just to see if we can… those heartbreaking questions include: Why is it more important to explore a dusty, red planet that has taken eight years and two and a half billion dollars to reach; than to feed the 25000 people who die every day from poverty. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Its-not-unethical-to-spend-billions-on-space-exploration/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Its-not-unethical-to-spend-billions-on-space-exploration/#item9170 Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:30:06 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-guys-are-nothing-without-bad-guys-to-destroy/ Storming a building, in which latest reports suggest there were children, wounding a woman and shooting a man in the head is not your typical story of heroism espoused by the US Military.  It all changes, however, when that man is Osama Bin Laden. There are many theories about how heroes and villains are created. The majority of us are destined to work nine to five and will neither blow buildings up nor end world poverty. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-guys-are-nothing-without-bad-guys-to-destroy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-guys-are-nothing-without-bad-guys-to-destroy/#item5781 Sun, 08 May 2011 08:00:08 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mandatory-detention-conditions-fuel-the-fire/ Christmas Island, Curtin, Northern Immigration Detention Centre in Darwin, Maribyrnong, Perth, Phosphate Hill, Scherger and Villawood Detention Centre… These are the welcoming arms of Australia for the few desperate individuals who make it into Australian waters seeking asylum. They are detention centres that could become “home” for indefinite periods of months or even years. In the early hours of the morning Villawood Detention Centre was set alight, and protestors climbed up onto the roof of the centre. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mandatory-detention-conditions-fuel-the-fire/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/mandatory-detention-conditions-fuel-the-fire/#item5689 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:00:08 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/will-kyoto-survive-cancun/ The UN Climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico will be wrapped up this week after two weeks of steady negotiations. Delegates are furiously trying to reach consensus so that decisions can be made by Friday this week. The story that seems to have gained the most traction back home is the question of Kyoto’s survival. Journalists seem to be advocating a range of conflicting messages – from the immanent death of the treaty to the fighting hope of its perseverance. Reality is a little more nuanced than that and the Kyoto Protocol is one of myriad issues that need to be resolved in the next week. None the less, it is certainly not time to write off Kyoto. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/will-kyoto-survive-cancun/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/will-kyoto-survive-cancun/#item4654 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:40:38 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/climate-committee-is-no-citizens-assembly-thank-god/ After all the scorn and criticism surrounding the much talked of, somewhat derided, plan for a Citizen’s Assembly Gillard has just announced a new plan to tackle climate change, in the form of a multi-party climate change committee; investigating and deliberating over the best way to implement a price on carbon. Gillard’s definitely singing a different tune to her pre-election decisiveness that she had “ruled out” the possibility of a carbon tax under any government she lead. Now, after a lot of somewhat hysterical party shuffling, repositioning, negotiating and endless demands and speeches. Gillard is most certainly leading her misshapen, conglomerate government, and the possibility of a carbon tax is most certainly back on the table. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/climate-committee-is-no-citizens-assembly-thank-god/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/climate-committee-is-no-citizens-assembly-thank-god/#item4165 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:50:08 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/do-we-have-a-government-yet-no-thank-goodness/ I stumbled upon a new and informative website today: http://doesaustraliahaveagovernmentyet.com/ It sums up the current political situation pretty well, and what a bizarre situation it is. Gillard stabbed Rudd in the back, Rudd stepped up and helped out his Lady Macbeth during the election, interim-mad-monk-Abbott pushed a relentless campaign, we discovered that there was Julia and then there was the “real Julia” (along with two impersonators) which was confusing, the Greens slid gracefully into the Senate and House of Reps, Bob Katter… I don’t know what Bob Katter is doing, but one somewhat effective campaign video and all of a sudden he’s the force to be reckoned with. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/do-we-have-a-government-yet-no-thank-goodness/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/do-we-have-a-government-yet-no-thank-goodness/#item3923 Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:40:56 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shameful-silence-on-the-afghanistan-front/ The 18th Australian soldier, Jason Brown, died in Afghanistan last week. Gillard and Abbott were united in simultaneously expressing condolences to Jason’s family and friends; whilst expressing their determination to remain in Afghanistan (all the while carefully avoiding the war slipping onto the election agenda). Gillard and Abbott are united in their declaration that Jason’s death should not distract from their commitment to maintain a presence in Afghanistan. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sophie Trevitt) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shameful-silence-on-the-afghanistan-front/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shameful-silence-on-the-afghanistan-front/#item3840 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:45:57 +0000 Sophie Trevitt | Author bios | The Punch