http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/steve-fielding/ Steve, who is 48, was born in Reservoir in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and was one of 16 children. After finishing high school, Steve did a Bachelor of Engineering degree at RMIT University which he completed in 1983. He then started work at Hewlett Packard where he met Susan, who also worked there. Steve later moved into management and executive roles with NEC and Siemens, and completed a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at Monash University in 1992. Later that year Steve and his family moved to Wellington in New Zealand where he took up an executive role with Telecom NZ. They returned to Australia in 1995. Steve worked with United Energy and then Yellow Pages. For the last five years, he has been with one of Victoria’s largest superannuation funds, Vision Super (formerly Local Authority Super). A passion for local issues saw Steve elected as a councillor to Knox City Council in 2003 and 2004. Steve stood as a Victorian Senate candidate for the FAMILY FIRST Party in the 2004 election and took up his position in the Senate on July 1, 2005. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +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/parental-leave-scheme-treats-mothers-like-criminals/ The Rudd Government’s paid parental leave scheme appallingly places prisoners on a higher pedestal than stay at home mums - mums who slog their guts out all day trying to look after their kids who need 24-7 attention. While paid parental leave is a good thing the Government’s scheme has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. On page 20 of the explanatory memorandum of the Paid Parental Leave Bill 2010, it says that prisoners who perform work in prison would be eligible for the Government’s paid parental leave scheme. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/parental-leave-scheme-treats-mothers-like-criminals/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/parental-leave-scheme-treats-mothers-like-criminals/#item3323 Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:20:12 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-family-first-farce-that-shamed-our-democracy/ Australia has one of the best democracies in the world and it’s something we should be immensely proud of. Our democratic system is one which encourages everyone to be involved in the political process, and thus shape the future of this great nation. However, during this year’s South Australian election the Labor Party threw our whole system in jeopardy. Instead of contesting the election in a fair and open manner, instead of putting faith in their own policies to capture voter support, they chose to engage in a deceptive and misleading campaign by impersonating another party. It was a disgraceful act and one which bought the whole integrity of our electoral system to its knees. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-family-first-farce-that-shamed-our-democracy/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-family-first-farce-that-shamed-our-democracy/#item3087 Fri, 14 May 2010 19:05:07 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/henry-by-going-after-the-big-guys-little-guys-will-get-hurt/ The Henry Tax Review has been released and the Rudd Government has formed its response. So what good things has the government done for the average Australian family? Not a great deal. I know it’s a brash statement but when you think about it, the Henry Review is some 800 pages long, looking at things like housing affordability, childcare and family assistance. These are the things which families really care about because they are the biggest items which chew into the family budget and affect whether they have any spare cash or not. But were any of these things mentioned in the Rudd Government’s response to the review which it’s been sitting on for months? The short answer is no. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/henry-by-going-after-the-big-guys-little-guys-will-get-hurt/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/henry-by-going-after-the-big-guys-little-guys-will-get-hurt/#item2969 Sun, 02 May 2010 18:35:11 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/targeting-drivers-is-one-thing-what-about-drinkers/ Well another day and yet another useless decision on alcohol. Victoria Police will today continue their blitz on drunks at races with the running of the Oaks at Flemington. Now it’s great that police are targeting these people to stop alcohol fuelled violence, but I personally don’t believe it’s the right course of action. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/targeting-drivers-is-one-thing-what-about-drinkers/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/targeting-drivers-is-one-thing-what-about-drinkers/#item1654 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:43:30 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Lost-for-words-my-secret-battle-with-a-learning-disorder-steve-fielding/ Yesterday was personally one of the toughest days I have had since I was elected to the Senate. It ended with me confronting a demon which I have lived with for 48 years. That demon is that I have a specific learning disability, which means I’m not always the best public speaker or speller. This is something which I don’t like talking about as it cuts pretty deep. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me; rather I more want people to understand who I am and how you can still be successful even if you have problems articulating yourself. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Lost-for-words-my-secret-battle-with-a-learning-disorder-steve-fielding/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Lost-for-words-my-secret-battle-with-a-learning-disorder-steve-fielding/#item1161 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:59:59 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-silver-bullet-in-the-binge-drinking-debate/ Australia’s binge drinking culture sure is a divisive issue. But to put it simply we have two options. Stand by and do nothing and risk the $16bn alcohol toll escalating further out of control, or do something to break the cycle and make us a safer country. Last week, when I asked the readers of The Punch for a solution, there were some comments which suggested that I wanted to turn Australia into a nanny state. This couldn’t be further from the truth. And just so we’re crystal clear I don’t want to or ever plan to introduce prohibition. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-silver-bullet-in-the-binge-drinking-debate/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-silver-bullet-in-the-binge-drinking-debate/#item1108 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:16 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/drunk-nation1/ I’m going to do something here that most pollies wouldn’t do and ask for help. Help in trying to address Australia’s $16bn alcohol toll. I want the readers of The Punch to leave a comment and share their ideas on how governments can address Australia’s binge drinking culture and the violence which stems from it. Three years ago I took a 10 point plan to both John Howard and Kevin Rudd. It included advertising restrictions and health warning labels. But with that plan shot down its now time for fresh ideas as this a real issue which this country as a whole needs to take responsibility for. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/drunk-nation1/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/drunk-nation1/#item1042 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:53:57 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-the-coalition-simply-gave-up-on-the-national-interest/ Whether you sit on the left or right side of the political spectrum, it is important the Australian public are aware of the coalition’s current agenda. It is an agenda which puts at risk everything this country has worked hard to achieve, including financial prosperity and security. It is an agenda which is self interested and is not in the best interests of this country. The job of any opposition is to hold the government of the day to account and to stand up to legislation it believes is not in the best interest of the Australian people. This is a job the Labor Party did extremely well towards the end of Howard’s reign as Prime Minister. However, since that fateful day on 24 November 2007, the Coalition has done nothing to help this country or hold the government to account. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-the-coalition-simply-gave-up-on-the-national-interest/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-the-coalition-simply-gave-up-on-the-national-interest/#item886 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:19:06 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-real-reason-ill-fight-in-the-senate-on-climate-change/ Climate change is real. Yes that’s right, contrary to the misreporting in the media,  I do believe in climate change. That might come as a shock to some of those on the left side of politics, but it’s the truth. The question that concerns me, however,  is what is driving it? Is it increasing levels of human made carbon dioxide emissions, variations in solar radiation or something else? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Steve Fielding) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-real-reason-ill-fight-in-the-senate-on-climate-change/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-real-reason-ill-fight-in-the-senate-on-climate-change/#item635 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:05:08 +0000 Steve Fielding | Author bios | The Punch