What's Wong with Wyatt's trip to Iraq?

IF Wyatt Roy's idea of fun is going into a war zone and seeing it first hand then I say good on him.

Kathy Sundstrom

LEAVE Wyatt Roy alone.

For goodness sake, the bloke is 26-years-old and for the last six years he's been tied up serving the people as a boring politician.

If his idea of fun is going into a war zone and seeing it first hand then I say good on him.

And Julia Bishop's cry that he is "irresponsible" and didn't let the government know where he was going misses the point.

He'd be irresponsible if he did let the government know where he was going.

From my understanding, he wasn't asking for help when it was revealed he was involved in IS cross-fire at the Iraq-Syria border. He was merely regaling the tale.

So for politicians to get on their high-horses and suggest this was wrong is stupid.

"Mr Roy did not seek nor did he receive assistance from the Australian Government for his travel to Iraq", Ms Bishop said.

Can you imagine the deserved outcry if he had?

I don't think his adventure is any more foolish than Jessica Watson's decision to sail solo around the world.

And while people criticised her before she left, she was a national hero on her return.

If something had gone wrong, government forces would have had spend time and money in the search for her, just as they would have if something went wrong with Mr Roy.

Any adventure involves an element of risk. It's what makes it an adventure.

And as long as he is doing it on his own tab, who are we to criticise?

For Penny Wong to join the fray and challenge him for acting out a "boyhood fantasy" in a war zone is insulting.

"This is a very unwise, and dangerous act for a former LNP Member of Parliament, who should be expected to know better," Ms Wong said.

In case you forgot Ms Wong, he is no longer beholding to the government or to the people. He was voted out.

If he wants to spend his own money on reckless pursuits, then let him.

It's the privilege of youth and one that ends when you become a parent (or a politician) and have babies you have to cater to.

Originally published as What's Wong with Wyatt's trip to Iraq?