It's the little things....
There are few better things on the campaign trail than getting to spend two nights in the same place. Why? You get to do your laundry! It's the small things that keep you going...
With a suitcase full of freshly cleaned clothes, we're ready to go. The only problem once again is, we don't know where we're heading. Thankfully, I read The Australian newspaper online at 4am and learn that Tony Abbott is heading Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. His office has given the paper the details of the story the night before. I hastily grab a more appropriate outfit from my bag, re-pack and head to the bus - cursing the Liberal Leader's staff under my breath for not giving us a heads up.
While Queensland and Western Sydney are the places we will spend most of our time during the campaign, every now and then we get to go to some of the most exotic and beautiful parts of Australia. I love the Top End, so I'm excited about the day ahead. I soon realise it will be a logistical nightmare.
We're planning to spend just a few hours on the ground, in a region where there is little to no mobile phone coverage. After Abbott gives his speech and media conference at the Garma Festival in Gulkula we return to the airport to send our pictures, interviews and stories back to Canberra so they can be aired on the news.
There's a problem. The bandwidth isn't big enough to feed the material. For a few minutes there is panic as it seems we will have come all this way for nothing. Again I curse Abbott's advisers for the lack of warning but luckily for them, our cameramen figure out a way around the problem.
It would have been a shame if we weren't able to broadcast excerpts of Abbott's speech. Indigenous Affairs is indisputably an area of policy he is passionate about and his speech is well received. He unveils former Labor President and high profile aboriginal figure Warren Mundine as his key adviser should he win the election. It's a big coup.
Words ultimately mean little though on the ground in indigenous communities. For many Australians, the challenges facing our first Australians are out of sight, out of mind. Abbott's pledge to continue spending one week a year living in an aboriginal community if he becomes PM probably won't win him many votes. But it should be encouraged and applauded. Solving every problem the aboriginal community deals with is impossible for one person to achieve. But if Abbott does win on September 7, all Australians should be hoping he can make a difference.
