VICTORIA, Australia — At altitude or at depth, it seems there's no limit to Tim Holding's dalliances with danger. But the Victorian tourism minister's latest forays into the wild have another thing in common - both have been on the public purse. Less than three months after the daredevil politician had to be rescued from the Alps after a solo hike went horribly wrong, he has dived into a new controversy. Mr Holding has admitted going on a special underwater preview of the recently scuttled HMAS Canberra, a chance to indulge his love of scuba diving. The problem is, the wreck lying in Bass Strait has not yet been declared safe and remains closed to the public. Mr Holding, who went on a supervised dive with Parks Victoria staff and fellow Labor MP Michael Crutchfield, said the excursion was within his purview as tourism minister. "Part of my job is to assess progress on this very important project," he said. "We're now not far away from when the public will be able to dive on the site, and it was appropriate for me to have a preliminary look with Parks Victoria personnel." Parks Victoria is assessing the wreck, which was scuttled off Barwon Heads on October 4, in preparation for its opening as a recreational dive site. Mr Holding, a certified diver, said it was appropriate to see the progress "with my own eyes". While not permitted to enter the wreck, he reached the deck at a depth of 18 metres, the maximum depth allowed for an open water diver. In September, Mr Holding was plucked from the icy wilderness after becoming lost while hiking on Mt Feathertop in Victoria's alpine region. The two-day search and rescue operation cost tens of thousands of dollars and involved a secret federal police spy plane. Victorian Premier John Brumby defended his adventurous tourism minister's latest jaunt. "It was a Parks Victoria exercise. Tim joined that because he's the responsible minister," he said. "He's the tourism minister. This is going to be a big thing in terms of tourism and he made that judgment. I think it complied with the rules." | No stranger to controversy: Daredevil politicianTim Holding after his two days lost in the bush. But Opposition tourism spokeswoman Louise Asher said the suggestion that Mr Holding was on official ministerial business was complete nonsense. "If it's unsafe for members of the public, it's unsafe for the minister," she said. "Victorians have just spent thousands of dollars rescuing him from one adventure sport, which a lot of experts say was folly and now he embarks off on another one which to all advice is unsafe as well. "I just think that's very, very irresponsible form for a minister of the crown." by CATHERINE BEST | 
