Portrait of Peter Garrett " The Power and The Passion " © Kris Ralph 2006

FEDERAL MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE & THE ARTS MEMBER FOR KINGSFORD -SMITH NOVEMBER 2007
"We have a great objective - the light on the hill - which we aim to reach by working for the betterment of mankind not only here but anywhere we may give a helping hand"
JB Chifley
Australian Prime Minister
1945-1949

Ex- Lead singer for Australian rock band "Midnight Oil" , Peter Garrett has turned his focus to entering politics and working from inside the machine.

In 2006 after exhibiting "The Last Protest " works, I stored all the remaining paintings in my garage. I didn't get to see the works until August nearly four months later and when I opened the garage door I witnessed that a vine had grown over the portrait of Peter Garrett ...ONLY Peter Garrett! So in the ensuing months I continued to work on Peter's protrait and decided to paint the tendrils the way they fell across the painting...by December 2006 it was finally completed with the confluence of Nature.

In the garage August 2006, with the real vines draped around the painting

Peter Garrett is no novice to structured avenues of work as he was President of the Australian Conservation Foundation from 1989-1993 doing exceptional work for saving environments in Kakadu, Queensland, the Wet Tropics and South coastal regions of NSW. He developed partnerships with Non Government Organisations & business groups and expanded the ACF's campaigning into Marine conservation and Northern Australia. He recieved the Australian Humanitarian Award in the Environment category in 2000 and in 2003 the Order of Australia for his contribution to the Environment and the Music Industry. In 2004 he joined the Australian Labor Party and was made Member for Kingsford-Smith. In July, 2005, he was promoted to Party Secretary for Reconciliation and The Arts.

LABOR won the 2007 Federal Election and Prime Minister Rudd announced Peter Garrett as the FEDERAL MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE & THE ARTS .