Sophie Panopoulos

Sophie Panopoulos (born 27 October, 1968), Australian

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27 October - 1968 - Australia

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politician, has been a Liberal member of the

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Australian House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of Indi, Victoria. She was born in Melbourne, Victoria,

Related Topics:
Australian House of Representatives - 2001 - Division of Indi - Victoria - Melbourne

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and was previously a solicitor and articled clerk from 1995 to 1997. From 1998 until her election to Parliament, she worked as a barrister.

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1995 - 1997 - 1998

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At the time of her election Panopoulos was described by political satirists as the "Uptown Girl" reflecting her limited previous connection to her electorate of Indi. Despite this, she comfortably retained the safe Liberal seat in 2001, and received a well above-average 5.6% swing to her in the 2004 federal election, giving her 66.3% of the two-party preferred vote and making Indi one of the safest Liberal seats in the country.

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Panopoulos has been a member of the Liberal Party since 1987. She was president of the Melbourne University Liberal club, vice-president of the Australian Liberal Students Federation, a delegate to the Liberal Party State Council of Victoria and is also a member of numerous Policy Assembly Committees. She became well-known during the debate on Australia becoming a republic as a prominent advocate for retaining the constitutional monarchy, and was an elected member of the 1998 Constitutional Convention.

Related Topics:
1987 - Melbourne University - Australian Liberal Students Federation - Constitutional monarchy - 1998 - Constitutional Convention

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In the federal Parliament Panopoulos is a member of the Employment and Workplace Relations and Legal and Constitutional Affairs committees.

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In 2005, Panopolous attracted public attention as a key member of an informal "ginger group" of Liberal backbenchers. She chaired this group with Victorian Senator Mitch Fifield. The group argued for "tax reform" (in essence, tax cuts paid for by reductions in government spending), sparking public debate on the topic.

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On the prominent issue of asylum seekers, Panopoulous attacked fellow Liberal backbenchers Petro Georgiou and Judi Moylan, labelling them "political terrorists" for defying government policy on mandatory detention. She was rebuffed soon after, as Prime Minister John Howard agreed to meet some of their concerns and recommendations. In August 2005 she called for Muslim headscarves to be banned from public schools, a view also expressed by another prominent Liberal backbencher, Bronwyn Bishop. Prime Minister John Howard rejected this view.

Related Topics:
Asylum seekers - Petro Georgiou - Judi Moylan - Mandatory detention - Prime Minister - John Howard - 2005 - Bronwyn Bishop

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She has also been at odds with her National Party coalition colleagues in regards to the implementation of Voluntary Student Unionism in Australian Universities.

Related Topics:
National Party - Voluntary Student Unionism

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