http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/stuart-robert-/ Stuart Robert is the Federal MP for the electorate of Fadden on the Northern Gold Coast and is the Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel. Stuart is an ADFA and Duntroon graduate and served as an Army officer for 12 years including operational service overseas. Just prior to entering politics Stuart was the joint founder and CEO of a medium sized IT firm acknowledged by BRW as one of the fastest growing businesses in Australia. Stuart was elected at the 2007 Federal Election as a Liberal Candidate. Stuart and his wife Chantelle have three boys and have lived on the Gold Coast for over 10 years. Stuart holds an MBA, a Masters of Information Technology and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons). en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +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/kony-2012-just-do-something-anything/ The massive YouTube viewing of Invisible Children’s film “Kony 2012” is nothing short of phenomenal. People are engaged, outraged and quite rightly calling on the International community to do something - in this case, arrest, charge and try Kony in the Hague. People have found their voice against one of the world’s cruelest, most evil men and his regime of hate and terror. The call for justice is both reasoned and reasonable. I go to Uganda almost every year and see firsthand the impact of Kony’s violence and terror. He should be brought to justice and it should be now. People quite rightly are asking what Africa is doing about it. Uganda’s inaction against Kony should be seen through the lens of lack of capability not will, though the inaction of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a lack of will not capability. Kony has a following and a degree of Government protection within the DRC and the country’s civil war with estimates of some 6 million killed simply makes Kony another part of the nation’s woes. It is a tragic part of the world where human life is often cheap. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kony-2012-just-do-something-anything/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/kony-2012-just-do-something-anything/#item7965 Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:00:01 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/A-card-earned-Cross-needs-a-big-old-cheer/ We all know what the Victoria Cross is, but do we really know what it means and what it represents? Perhaps I am a bit old fashioned but I truly believe that Australians do understand and appreciate the significance of this award. That is, until I heard the comments made on Channel 10’s The Circle program this week, comments the network has since apologised for, faced with national outrage. Whatever the story behind how each of us learned about the Victoria Cross, whether it was from a school excursion to the War Memorial or from a family member who served ‘back in the day’, we forever remember that it is the highest award presented to a member of the Australian Defence Force for acts of bravery in wartime. We all know that the acts of those who have been awarded the Victoria Cross are nothing short of heroic. In the case of Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, VC, MG, he was involved in a hunt for a senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan when during an engagement with a fortified enemy he exposed his own position in order to draw fire away from his mates. He then stormed two enemy machine gun posts, quickly dispatching the enemy. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/A-card-earned-Cross-needs-a-big-old-cheer/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/A-card-earned-Cross-needs-a-big-old-cheer/#item7907 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:40:39 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/freedom-belongs-to-nations-willing-to-fund-it/ In the latter part of 2011 previously unpublished data from the ANU’s 2010 Australian Election Study produced some fascinating reading on the subject of trust. The study revealed that the public trusted police more than the banks and the public service more than trade unions. Unsurprisingly the most trusted group was the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with a staggering 91 per cent of Australians having a high degree of confidence in them. This result is not unexpected given Australia operates arguably the most effective small military in the world. A military capable of conducting high level military operations in Afghanistan while simultaneously continuing our force protection and monitoring roles in Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands whilst also providing personnel to numerous other international peace related missions. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/freedom-belongs-to-nations-willing-to-fund-it/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/freedom-belongs-to-nations-willing-to-fund-it/#item7749 Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:25:45 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-listen-to-those-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan/ The ongoing criticism of the Australian Defence Force’s deployed resources in Afghanistan, firstly by the 6 RAR Digger’s email and now also by a senior soldier in Townsville and a recently returned Officer, raise the real issue of the Government’s commitment to the fight. Has the Government deployed every possible resource needed to achieve the mission? In response to that now widely publicised email, Defence stated that the Commander on the ground at Deh Rawood had a range of direct and indirect fire assets at his disposal. The Commander chose to use some of those assets and others he did not, for a variety of reasons such as airspace deconfliction. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-listen-to-those-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-listen-to-those-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan/#item4138 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:50:34 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/more-australian-leadership-is-needed-in-afghanistan/ On returning last month from 10 days in the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) that included five days in Afghanistan in Kandahar and Tarin Kowt, I was shocked to hear of another attempted extremist Islamic terrorist attack, on that occasion in Times Square. This only reinforces my view that unless we defeat the Taliban and remove the opportunity for their Al Qaeda allies to spew venom through indoctrination, training and support, we will continue to fight them in our own backyard. The Dutch unfortunately have decided their contribution has come to an end in Afghanistan leaving a capability vacuum in Oruzgan Province where the bulk of Australia’s combat forces are. The military has a maxim that ‘time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted.’ Likewise 10 days with our troops on operations was fertile time to reflect and I’ve personally concluded that Australia should consider expanding its contribution to fill this vacuum and take the lead in Oruzgan Province. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/more-australian-leadership-is-needed-in-afghanistan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/more-australian-leadership-is-needed-in-afghanistan/#item3200 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:40:49 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-reward-from-the-new-governments-new-award/ During the 2007 election campaign, voters were led to believe via a massive scare campaign that Labor would provide wage protection. The cruel irony is that whilst the Howard Government achieved real wage increases of over 19%, Labor’s new laws are actually leading to wage decreases. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-reward-from-the-new-governments-new-award/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-reward-from-the-new-governments-new-award/#item2478 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:30:05 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-finks-theyre-not-rotary/ Every now and then the legal profession loses the plot in their bid to muster an adequate defence for those whose actions are indefensible. A recent example was a solicitor outside the Brisbane Magistrates Court who said the outlaw motorcycle gang, the dreaded Finks were like “Rotary but with tattoos”. What made the comment more parlous was that the comment was made at that time of the year when Rotary Clubs run their ‘pride of workmanship’ awards ceremony where hard working unsung heroes of the workplace are honoured. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-finks-theyre-not-rotary/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-finks-theyre-not-rotary/#item1814 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:55:56 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-ideology-threatening-a-crucial-service-in-schools/ I love going to schools, especially primary schools where children are eager to talk of their hopes and dreams for the future. I’m always presented with a rich tapestry of ambition, a divergence of views and that laconical smirk or quick wit that so defines the Australian sense of humour. However I’m also confronted with hopelessness and despair, with children from unhappy homes, children with challenging behavior and in some cases children having been subject to abuse and harm. One school in my electorate with 800 children has approximately 25% of these children assessed as at risk. My wife, who was a high school teacher before we started our family, made the comment recently that her last class of 30 students only had six students who still lived with their Mum and Dad. Without commenting on the societal impacts of family breakdown, I think it is fair to say that children are adversely affected by such events. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-ideology-threatening-a-crucial-service-in-schools/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-ideology-threatening-a-crucial-service-in-schools/#item1664 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:25:32 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Refugees-are-dying-while-they-wait-in-the-queue/ I missed the last week of Parliament during the ongoing debate concerning boat people. I was in Uganda at a board meeting of my favorite charity Watoto, a charity that rescues abandoned children and babies and gives them hope and a future. I’ve been going to Africa every year for many years working with some of the poorest people on earth. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Refugees-are-dying-while-they-wait-in-the-queue/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Refugees-are-dying-while-they-wait-in-the-queue/#item1581 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:40:25 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudd-the-regulator-seeking-reform-for-reforms-sake/ Before the election, in the May 2007 budget in reply speech, Rudd the Regulator stated “I have already announced our intention in government of adopting a simple principle: no new regulation imposed on business unless an existing regulation is withdrawn”. So how is Mr Rudd going with this promise? According to the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments on the Comlaw website, in 2008 – 4699 new legislative instruments were added and in 2009 till the end of September – 3699 new legislative instruments were added. That’s 8398 new forms of select legislative instruments, statutory rules and regulation. Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au (Stuart Robert ) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudd-the-regulator-seeking-reform-for-reforms-sake/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudd-the-regulator-seeking-reform-for-reforms-sake/#item1433 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:35:18 +0000 Stuart Robert | Author bios | The Punch