I have to confess that I didn’t even know that Tim Holding existed until he got lost on a solitary climb up a mountain in the alpine region of Victoria this weekend. Apparently, the wandering minister is Minister for Water in the Australian state of Victoria.

We don’t have much water in Victoria and we don’t have much of a minister either, it appears.

Holding is an experienced mountain climber, we are told, but he went off on his own in below freezing temperatures without a GPS device. I would have thought that a GPS device was crucial if you are into frolicking on dangerous terrains on your own.

Holding seems to have become lost and failed to return on Sunday afternoon. So now we are endangering the lives of 80 rescuers who also have to spend the nights on the mountain in order to retrieve the lost minister.

It’s an expensive and dangerous exercise. We have had irresponsible people go adventuring before and when they were lucky enough to be found they sold their stories to newspapers. I hope that our errant minister will not do that.

I also strongly believe that adventurers should repay the cost of their rescue by taking out insurance before they embark on their follies. Why should their behaviour incur a cost to the community when they didn’t take sensible precautions in the first place?

Accidents are one thing and they are bound to happen but irresponsibility is another. If Tim Holding is found alive I hope that the voters will remember his stupid, risky and inconsequential behaviour when election time comes.

p.s.

Tim Holding is a very lucky man. He has just been winched to safety by courageous rescuers. Hope he gets sent to his room without dessert!