The flying kangaroo is one of the world's best known brands, instantly synonymous with the Australian national carrier Qantas. And the Emu, Australia's flightless bird holds up the other side of the Ozzie coat of arms. But a section of the politically-active aboriginal community wants their indigenous fauna back. Knowing the propensity of Kangaroos to jump straight in front of cars on outback roads and emus to trash outdoor dunnys with flaying legs and beaks on a whim, they can hardly be seen as "intellectual property".

It all started a couple of weeks ago, when Kevin Buzzacott, aboriginal elder and leader of the Aboriginal tent embassy, a grubby but substantive symbol of an Australian history of marginalizing Australia's indigenous population, sued the Oz government for using the kangaroo and emu on the coat of arms. The coat of arms adorns government buildings, stationery, and much of the Australian currency. Buzzacott claims that indigenous flora is owned by aboriginies. Almost simultaneously, some larrikan knocked off the coat of arms from the old Parliament house, and an all-mighty blue threatened.

Kev's latest stunt was to threaten to board a Qantas plane with his aboriginal passport claiming that the aboriginal "...owned the intellectual property in representations of native fauna..." and should have asked for permission.

Now, the Australian government has come under increasing international pressure in the past decade for it's aboriginal policy, as well as it's attitude to immigration. It doesn't help that Australian PM John Howard's delivery is about as dry as a dead dingo's donger, and he looks for all purposes like the ubiquitous suburban lawyer he once was. His government's policies are decidedly waspish compared to the international, Asia focused, and more multicultural policies of the preceding Labor governments and even those of Malcolm Fraser, a fellow Liberal whose contribution to building a sensitive international Australia is sadly forgotten in the wake of his more high profile conspiracy with the Governor General to sack a previous Labour government. Paradoxically, Howard's continued Prime Ministership owes almost all to the actions of a crazed Saudi madman living in a cave in Afghanistan and a boat load of Aghan refugees. Such complexity and insecurity combined to scare the broad middle class and working classes to go for the simple short-term solution - look backwards, build up the parapets and revel in an ultimately doomed isolatism. Based on expanse and geographical distance it is a cultural cancer that has driven much of Australian history, well documented in the classic tome - Geoffrey Blainey's "A Tyranny of Distance".

Like the Australian government, Qantas seeks solace and guilt reduction by whipping up the hype, spins and PR. Their brand includes a good wallop of aboriginality from the aboriginal art influenced logo, uniforms and advertising. As far as Kev is concerned, Qantas is living in the dreamtime. ..And its about time they woke up. For what does the brand really mean to consumers.. a Qantas truly sensitive and admiring of aboriginal heritage, or a Qantas savvy on what being politically correct and "cultural" can do to bring in more punters? Is it a Qantas just ripping off "Intellectual property" owned by others?

Of course any legal challenge is a furphy. But aboriginies now legally own Ayers Rock, and renamed it back to the original term Uluru. There is a precedent, if somewhat distanced. And what about the Indonesian Airline Garuda? Their brand name is a local bird. Who owns the Garuda - yes indeed - which one of the hundreds of ethnic groups that make up Indonesia?

The most amusing aspect is watching the Qantas spin doctors in a tizz - running around with their knickers in a twist. At least we can thank Kev for the light amusement.

Other than the bonza turn however, the whole debate does have some significance. Australia's image is a bit "on the nose" overseas, and all the multi-cultural shindigs such as Olympic opening and closing cerenomies at the Olympics and aboriginal art in the souvenir shops are not enough to convince others that Australia is the multi-cultural vibrant and fair place it, at heart, really is. Kev Buzzacott may be a joke to many, a stunt-puller to others, and a menace to some Australian newspaper columnists. He is also one of the Australian characters that get people talking and addressing the real issues.

Heartening is the willingness of Qantas and Kev to meet together. In a radio interview last week - "...We are asking Qantas because Qantas is carrying our kangaroo on their planes... ...We're asking Qantas to come the right way and sit down and have a yarn and talk about it..."

Nothing like a good yarn to get the Roo outta the stew...