A political poll of a different kind

It’s a fair assumption that most people wouldn’t think twice about the extracurricular activities of Australian politicians, but a national photographic competition has revealed many of our Federal MPs and senators have a flair for the hobby.

The comp was a joint effort by the Tourism and Transport Forum and Tourism Australia and was called ‘Visit My Electorate‘. It sought the best images of a local area to showcase to international visitors, with entrants offered $8,000 in prize money to go to a charity of their choice.

Around 50 entries were received and judged by an independent panel.

The winning snapshot was by South Australian Labor MP Amanda Rishworth. She took first prize of $5,000 for her beautiful image of Port Willunga Bay, below.

Second place and $2,000 among the MPs and senators went to Western Australian Liberal MP Rick Wilson who took a stunning photograph of Greens Pool Williams Bay National Park.

While third prize was awarded to MP Anthony Byrne, who holds the Victorian seat of Holt. Winning $1,000 Byrne took a photograph of the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne.

In the list of runners-up was Federal tourism minister Richard Colbeck for his photograph of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania; Maranoa MP Bruce Scott for his shot of the Big Red Bash at Birdsville; Darren Chester and his picture of 90 Mile Beach in his seat of Gippsland; Victoria, Northern Territory senator Nigel Scullion’s Corroboree Billabong taken in Kakadu’s Mary River Wetlands; Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon and ACT senator Katy Gallagher.

The winning photographs were distributed as part of a 2016-17 calendar for delegates attending the annual TTF conference.

What hidden talents do you have? Have you ever showcased any of your hobbies or interests to a wider audience?