Victoria’a Water Minister Tim Holdng was found and rescued by emergency crews  last night after two days of freezing conditions on Mt Feathertop.

The 37 year-old was declared missing on Sunday night after failing to return from a solo hiking expedition.

When no contact had been made with his family and close friends, an 80-person search party was sent to the Victorian Alps in the rescue the Australian Labor Party member.

But weather did not help the search party with heavy cloud cover and poor visibility making it very difficult to locate Mr. Holding.

Visibility in region improved yesterday and the minister was spotted by a news helicopter before being winched to safety from the slopes of Mt Feathertop by police.

Since being rescued, Mr. Holding has been admitted to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital and has been cleared from any signs of hyperthermia and frostbite.

Despite his remarkable survival story, Mr. Holding has not escaped without the public labeling him ‘foolish’ and ‘naïve’, and criticizing him for his failure to carry an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon).

But others have been quick to defend the Minister, including Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe, who said his actions were quite responsible.

“I think Mr. Holding did what other people do,” Mr. Walshe said.

“He signed the book at the start of the walk saying where he was heading to, he was very, very well equipped both with clothing, with a tent, with torches, he had food, he had water, unfortunately he slipped, had a fall which took him off the track and he couldn’t get back to the track.

“He became disorientated in the environment. I am not saying he was foolish at all. He was well prepared, he knows the area, he has been there before and I think in those circumstances what he did was reasonable.”

The issue has also raised debate over weather preferential treatment had been given to Mr. Holding due to his political background, and how police would have reacted to other hikers lost in the Victorian Alps.

Yet again, Mr. Walshe defended the state’s actions.

“If we had any individual who was lost anywhere in the state and required assistance and required to be located and recovered, we would do exactly the same again.”

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?

Did police give preferential treatment to Mr Holding because he was a minister?

Do you think the Minister’s actions were foolish?