Kev's Back

I've been a little worried about Kevin Rudd lately. He's been somewhat absent from the pre-election-campaign campaign. But it looks like the Labor Party has been quietly preparing themselves for the main event.



It has to be said that John Howard's effort to make himself and his government seem relevant of late have not done the job. The dirty tricks and grand stunts are reflecting poorly on a desperate party which seems to crave power like Gollum and his ring. "Vote for me my precious!"

The Liberal party seems to under-estimate the ability of Australians to spot a phoney. We're not an intellectual electorate, but we're not a pack of morons either. After all the show-boating and interventions, the name calling and blame-pushing the latest polls reveal the government is still sliding backwards.

That bodes well for Kevin. Labor hasn't landed many direct hits of late, but they haven't had to. Everytime "Honest John" appears on TV he does a good job of convincing the voters to "go left". Every ten million dollars the government spends on propaganda commercials for their IR laws is another reminder of why you shouldn't trust them.

So Kev, I'm looking forward to the real battle and finding out just who really has got some ticker.

Grab-Hands Howard

Arrogance runs rife in Tasmania today as John Howard flies into Launceston to intervene, interrupt and ingratiate.



The sudden allocation of $45million to negate the planned downgrading of a regional hospital came as a surprise to most people. Not the least of which is the state government who had their hand out for Canberra's crumbs, but told they need to be held more accountable.

So who accounts for the $45million now?

And will the government continue to find wads of cash to prop up an ICU unit that exceeds the needs of the community? I guess that's a post-election matter, after all the government is offering cash, not promises.

Little Johnny seems to have big hands of late.

He and our army has reached out to grab children in the Northern Territory, regardless of the more subtle community building work that has been underway for decades. Perhaps Johnny really does believe you can solve social problems with army intervention - after all that worked in Iraq right?

No it didn't work in Iraq. So the west sent more troops into Iraq. Still it doesn't work, just seems to have increased the rate of death of civilians and military personnel. But wait, it worked in Afghanistan right?

No it didn't work in Afghanistan either.

The rule of law continues to evade many parts of that country, while violence and death is still a way of life in the cities and illicit drugs still make their way out of the country. Doesn't sound like the army has got it sorted their either does it?

I want to know why John Howard thinks he alone can solve the social and health problems of regional areas, in disregard for expert and local authorities? And if he really does think he has the better answer, then why was it not the answer for the last 10 years, only now?

The fact is he doesn't. This is a government that will say and do anything to hold onto power. The desperation is palpable, they are drowning in lies.

I was reminded today that Howard's fans are not ignorant of his lies. Everyone knows he is a liar, but his supporters brush this off as a minor character flaw. They tell me, "All the politicians are liars". Iraq, NT and Tasmania remind us all of what happens when you catch someone out with lies but don't punish them for it.

The lies get bigger, and the hands get grabbier.

Isn't it time we demanded better of our politicians, all of them? They earn a lot of money, they enjoy privilege and power, and yet they squabble and bicker like kindergarten children instead of acting as "honourable" members.

Big hands, small brains.

Sensational Sipadan

Palau Sipadan is truly one of the world’s most remarkable underwater sites.



From above the water you can see little more than a few buildings, sandy white beaches and lots of trees. What you cannot see from the shady view of the beach is the sudden drop-off a few metres from the beach. One minute you’re floating above the coral and thousands of schooling fish, the next you’re facing hundreds of metres of darkness. It’s too deep to see what may be down there.

Along the drop-off the marine life takes full advantage of the unusual geography.
Unique coral forms branch out from the cliff and an endless stream of fish, big and small, travel in schools along the ridge. And I do mean endless. As soon as one cloud of yellow and blue streaks washes past you another school of shiny silver fish follows.

And of course there are the less transient residents of the reef, the brilliant pearls of iridescent life that speckle the coral with vibrant colours. The waters off the coast of southern Borneo are the most bio-diverse in the world.

The highlight of Sipadan is not the fish, and they can be seen emerging from the darkness along the ridge. They are the greenback turtles and they move with a grace and ease that defies their heavy shell and small flippers.

Slowly they rise from the deep blue, heading for the shallow waters above the drop-off.

They don’t mind our intrusion into their world. When you stare into their eyes they stare back and give a turn of the head. I swam for a while with my new companion, side by side just below the surface of the water. I was working hard to keep pace, while I knew he wasn’t even trying.

I had caught brief glimpses of sea turtles in other parts of the world, but usually travelling at immense speed to avoid humans of any kind. Sipadan is very special in this regard, and combined with the stunning snorkeling off the beach makes it my new favourite place to get wet.

Monkeys and Martinis

The mysterious jungles of Borneo are home to cheeky troops of Orangutans, bizarre outbursts of Rafflesia flowers and a very nice place for cocktails.



The first two days of our adventure into Sabah to capture images of habitats and wild creatures has been flavoured with truly exotic encounters and true five-star service. Our home base has been the Rasa Ria, a Shangri-La hotel based just north of Kota Kinabalu along the beach. The sand is very very white, the food is amazing and the service is exactly what you want from a great hotel.

This resort is a little unique by offering support for a nature reserve and orangutan rehabilitation program. Just a few minutes from the pool you can enter a regenerated section of forest and see the orangutans swing from trees. Every time I leave the comfort of my ocean view room and head for the restaurant I know that my indulgent dining experience is benefiting the wild animals too.



We have journeyed a little further as well, deep into the Tambunan forest in search of the rafflesia. In fact we journeyed further than we planned, but were lucky enough to actually find this rare bloom. No one was left behind, so the day ended with success and another fabulous set of images for our band of talented, and charity minded, photographers.

> Rasa Ria near Kota Kinabalu

> The Borneo Charity Photo Challenge