AUS: PM elect Rudd brings radical environmentalist in from the cold

It was in 1975 that Peter Gaerett joined a Sydney rock band called The Farm and promptly told them to stop playing Led Zep covers and to migrate their style towards UK punk rock. Oh, and to change their name to something more enigmatic - Midnight Oil.

Until 1992, Garrett's lyrics haunted the Australian conscience over environmental issues. He became an adviser to Greenpeace and president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, one of the foremost groups protesting against harm to both land and animals. Then he left the band, and joined the fringes of real politics, standing for election from time to time.

John Howard, the right wing PM in Australia until last weekend's election, in 2004 famously told a radio interviewer that his favourite song was Midnight Oil's huge international success "Beds are Burning." Whether most people had any idea that the song is about Aboriginal rights is doubtful, but Howard clearly realised that a protest song supporting Aboriginal rights sung by a well known left-winger would build his street cred. After al, he was busy trying to underpin his support which was waning due to the Australian involvement in the Iraq invasion.

Following Howard's defeat by Kevin Rudd, Garrett's star is in the ascendant.

Rudd is the very antithisis of Howard in many ways. He speaks and reads Chinese and is regarded as a sinophile. He intends to bring all Australian troops out of Iraq - and if the USA doesn't like it, they can whistle. He wants to reduce taxes and, crucially, he wants to bring Australia into Kyoto.

Garrett got the plum job at the LiveEarth concert that ran in cities all over the world in the middle of 2007. He got to introduce the mighty Crowded House. As he did so, he pointed out that on a per capita basis, Australia is the most polluting nation on earth.

Now he has the chance to do something about it: one of Rudd's first calls was to Garrett who is not even a member of Rudd's party. Rudd was about to do something very radical - he appointed Garrett Environment Minister.

He has both budget and clout and, demonstrably, he has commitment.

Now Australia might, at last, start to take the big steps that so many of its people - who amongst the developed world are perhaps the most naturally environmentally aware people - have demanded for so long.

Good on ya, mate. Nice one.