http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/tim-cannon/ At the tender age of four, and to the great surprise of his parents, Tim boldly declared two goals in life: to play cricket for Australia, and to become the pope. Needless to say, things haven’t quite gone to plan. Born and bred in Sydney’s north western suburbs, Tim stumbled out of high school and into a commerce degree, where he quickly discovered that finance and accounting are best left to folks who can count. A dalliance with Sydney University’s department of industrial relations led to a brief stint as an organiser for the NSW shoppies’ union, and a bourgeoning interest in all things political. In 2008, Tim fell in with the Australian Family Association, where he currently performs the dual role of national research officer and media spokesperson, while at the same time completing a law degree at Monash University. And despite persisting with the cricket and the church-going, Tim is gradually learning to let go of those heady childhood ambitions. 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/please-stop-calling-it-welfare/ Please stop calling it welfare. It’s not welfare. Getting a government rebate because you pay for private health insurance out of your own pocket is not welfare. Getting a government rebate because you spend after-tax income on sending your children to a non-government school is not welfare. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tim Cannon) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/please-stop-calling-it-welfare/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/please-stop-calling-it-welfare/#item7817 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:35:05 +0000 Tim Cannon | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Families-close-for-business-when-shops-open-longer/ According to Penbo, the retail union’s anachronistic attachment to Catholic values - keep the Lord’s day holy and all that - spells trouble for the retail industry. As a card-carrying Catholic, and a former member of (and organiser for) the shop assistants’ union, I thought it might be fair to lob a few thoughts into the mix by way of retort. As it happens, my mum and sister run a bookshop in Sydney’s CBD (www.portico.com.au), and a mighty fine one at that, so I am no stranger to the challenges faced by retailers in the current market. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tim Cannon) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Families-close-for-business-when-shops-open-longer/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Families-close-for-business-when-shops-open-longer/#item6451 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:30:35 +0000 Tim Cannon | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Theres-a-good-reason-marriage-is-a-hetero-thing/ What with New York legislating same-sex marriage, and Labor state conferences toppling like dominos, it appears that same-sex marriage activists have adopted a new tack: “momentum rhetoric”. The most blatant momentum rhetoric sprang up around the recent Galaxy Poll, wherein 75 per cent of respondents agreed that same-sex marriage is inevitable in Australia. It was an odd poll - more Nostradamus than Aquinas - on what really is a complicated political and moral issue. No engagement with the issue itself, just speculation as to where we might end up. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tim Cannon) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Theres-a-good-reason-marriage-is-a-hetero-thing/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Theres-a-good-reason-marriage-is-a-hetero-thing/#item6173 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:00:32 +0000 Tim Cannon | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/unborn-human-rights-101/ The Australian Family Association responds to Tory Shepherd’s Punch column on abortion. Ah pro-choice warriors, methinks thou dost protest too much. The sheer passion and vigour with which you attack anyone who gives off even the vaguest whiff of pro-life sentiment casts doubt upon the substance of your convictions. Shout those evil medievalists down! Throw names, mud, whatever – just make sure you get ‘em good! feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tim Cannon) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/unborn-human-rights-101/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/unborn-human-rights-101/#item5214 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:00:38 +0000 Tim Cannon | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/south-australia-risks-turning-doctors-into-agents-of-death/ Today the parliament of South Australia is due to debate a bill to legalise medically assisted suicide in that state. Should the bill pass, Australia’s “festival state” will assume the dubious and rather un-festive honour of being the first to make doctor assisted suicide available to its residents. Unlike the Northern Territory’s 1996 legislation, the federal government would be unable to overturn the South Australian Bill should it pass into law. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tim Cannon) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/south-australia-risks-turning-doctors-into-agents-of-death/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/south-australia-risks-turning-doctors-into-agents-of-death/#item4549 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:45:18 +0000 Tim Cannon | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/marriage-not-for-gays-and-maybe-not-for-anyone/ “We want what they’ve got” is not a valid argument for gay marriage. I have to agree with Professor Kerryn Phelps that the quality of debate over same-sex marriage is depressingly tepid. But to be fair, it’s not just the defenders of traditional marriage who exhibit a lack of intellectual rigour in mounting their case. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tim Cannon) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/marriage-not-for-gays-and-maybe-not-for-anyone/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/marriage-not-for-gays-and-maybe-not-for-anyone/#item4507 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:15:11 +0000 Tim Cannon | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/choosing-sex-the-next-great-leap-in-selfish-parenting/ Newborn babies are hands down the best thing on the planet. Never had one myself, but I’ve never met one that didn’t make me gush. It’s no surprise that new mum Josie Gagliano is partial to a bit of gushing when it comes to her twins. Josie says: “So now I am a mum, I’d love the whole world to experience the joy of motherhood, particularly the women who are having difficulty falling pregnant. That’s why I am so supportive of IVF.” She goes further, defending the right of parents to select their baby’s gender, if that’s what they really want. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tim Cannon) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/choosing-sex-the-next-great-leap-in-selfish-parenting/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/choosing-sex-the-next-great-leap-in-selfish-parenting/#item3641 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:45:52 +0000 Tim Cannon | Author bios | The Punch