Former Midnight Oil Frontman Becomes Australia's Environment Minister

Kerry Trueman November 29, 2007 | 11:27 pm EST

By Kerry TruemanPeter Garrett, best known here in America as the shiny-domed singer for Midnight Oil, has morphed from pop star to politician in recent years; he’s been in Australia’s Parliament since 2004 as a member of the Labor party.Now, Australia’s Prime Minister-elect, Kevin Rudd, has appointed Garrett to be the nation’s Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Arts. Will Garrett bring the same intensity to battling our burning planet that he did to his biggest hit, “Beds Are Burning?” Oddly enough, despite his title as Environment Minister, he won’t really have the chance, because Rudd has appointed another politician, Senator Penny Wong, to be Minister of Climate Change and Water. Were they afraid oil and water wouldn’t mix?