Vox Pop – Elyse Di Stefano

Name: Elyse Di Stefano

Age: 21

Occupation/title: Law Student

Bali 9 fallout. Should the death penalty exist for some crimes or none at all?

Definitely none at all. You can take away someone’s liberty, even for the duration for their life if they’ve committed a heinous crime, but taking someone’s life is never acceptable.

Will you boycott Indonesia as a result of this week’s events?

Yes and no. Yes, because it confirms that it isn’t the sort of country I’d like to visit. No, because to be perfectly honest I never would have gone anyway. My family had a bad experience with Indonesian officials on a stop-over at Jakata Airport and it was pretty scary wandering around a foreign place when they’ve taken your passports. In saying this, I just want to clarify that I have nothing against the Indonesian people – they are lovely people with a rich culture. However their legal system and bureaucracy is something I’d never want to be tangled in.

Nepal. Does the tragedy in Nepal deserve more news attention or has it just been overshadowed?

It does deserve more news coverage because of the huge scale of devastation and the sheer number of people affected. I work with a lot of Nepalese people so my awareness on the issue has been acute, however as a result of the big events happening internationally it has been overlooked.

Olympics. A joint Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane idea is being touted as a host for 2028 or 2032, would it work?

No, for the last century the Olympics has always been a centralised sporting competition in the one city. Logistically for spectators and tourists it would be a nightmare – what if you wanted to see the swimming and the basketball, and they were in different cities? Not a good idea.

Weather. Do you think the fluctuating weather in Australia, particularly in Sydney, is a result of climate change?

I think it’s likely however I have no idea about any of the science of it.

Boxing. Will you be watching the Mayweather v Pacquiao fight this weekend or are you against the sport?

I’m not a fan of boxing since I don’t particularly enjoy watching people beat each other up, but since Dad has control over the remote, I’ll probably see some of it.

Politics. Albury mayor Kevin Mack claimed women should not ‘walk alone in parks’ after the recent rape of a 17-year old girl. Do you agree?

NO! This really gets my blood boiling. Comments like this are blaming the victim for the crimes of someone else. If this was an armed robbery, no mayor would have made a comment suggestion it was the shop owner’s conduct that caused it. Rape doesn’t happen because a girl wears a short skirt or walks somewhere at night. Rape happens because someone raped someone. Instead of telling girls to stop walking alone, lets teach our young men to respect women and to not rape them. #redmylips

Royal baby. Do we place too much emphasis on the the royal family or is it justified?

I’m of the view that the Monarchy still has an important part to play in international and diplomatic relations, so news coverage on the new heir to the throne is not always unjustified.

Bruce Jenner. Do you think his coming out as trans-gender benefit other trans-gender individuals around the world?

Yes. After seeing the interview, you begin to understand the struggle that trans-gender people face. Bruce has given a face to which millions upon millions of people can start to empathise with, where they can appreciate the difficulties trans people face, and I believe that this empathy will be a good thing for the cause in the long run.

Waleed v Pickering. Who do you think is Australia’s leading broadcasted-news opinion?

At the moment it’s looking like Waleed from what I’m seeing on social media.