Sophie Panopoulos
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Sophie Panopoulos (born 27 October, 1968), Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of Indi, Victoria. She was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and was previously a solicitor and articled clerk from 1995 to 1997. From 1998 until her election to Parliament, she worked as a barrister.
At the time of her election Panopoulos was described by political satirists as the "Uptown Girl" reflecting her limited connection to her electorate of Indi.
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.
In the federal Parliament Panopoulos is a member of the Employment and Workplace Relations and Legal and Constitutional Affairs committees.
In 2005, Panopolous attracted public attention as a key member of an informal "ginger group" of Liberal backbenchers. The group argued for "tax reform" (in essence, tax cuts paid for by reductions in government spending), sparking public debate on the topic.
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.
She has also been at odds with her National Party coalition colleagues in regards to the implementation of Voluntary Student Unionism in Australian Universities.