AUSTRALIA LOOKS TO DITCH THE BEACH FOR A NEW IMAGE

       Australia launched a multi-million-dollar bid to rebrand itself yesterday as more than a nation of beach-goers, following a failed campaign deemed too offensive to air in some countries.
       Trade Minister Simon Crean said the government would spend 20 million Australian dollars (Bt568.6 million) recasting the nationa's image to capture the "essence of Australia" as a trade, education and investement destination in Asia.
       "We are much more than a nation of great people and great places. We have won 10 Nobel Prizes and we are a nation bursting with creativity and ingenuity," Crean said.
       He vowed to avoid a repeat of the controvesial A$180-million "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" 2006 torusim campaign, which was originally deemed too offensive to be screened in some countries, and largely failed in Asia.
       Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last year described that campaign as a "rolled gold disaster".
       Claims of racism and exploitation have also plagued Australia in recent months amid a rach of bad publicity relating to violent attacks and education scams targeting Indian students.
       Todd Sampson, head of advertising firm Leo Burnett Australia, said the country needed to "stand for something" in the eyes of the international public.
       "You think of Australia and you sort of draw a blank," Sampson said.
       "Beyond koalas, kangaroos and beaches, there's not much there and that's the challenge Australia has."