The rights of farmers were at the forefront of the minds of Nationals politicians in Canberra today as thousands of people gathered outside Parliament House to protect the right to farm.
Senator Fiona Nash, Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, and Nationals Senator for NSW said this showed how important these issues were as so many people had travelled for many hours to have their say.
“Our farmers are one of Australia’s most precious resources and we must do all that is possible to ensure the right to farm is maintained,” Senator Nash said.
“My Nationals colleagues Warren Truss, Mark Coulton, Ron Boswell, Bruce Scott, Barnaby Joyce, Nigel Scullion and John Williams were there to hear speakers including Peter Spencer. The numbers of those attending showed that today’s rally was more than one man’s fight.
“The NSW Farmers Association must be congratulated for the tremendous effort in organising the rally and bringing farmers from all over NSW and from Queensland. Some travelled through the night to be there.
“It was good to see familiar faces in the crowd and new ones as well as they brought their message to Canberra.
There were people protesting against mining on prime agricultural land, farmers demanding better access to water and landholders who want to protect their asset for future generations.
“It was heartening to see Coalition Leader Tony Abbott address them. The Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, Senator Barnaby Joyce, inspired the farmers with his speech supporting them in their demand for action from elected representatives to protect property rights. He also set out our agenda in continuing to oppose the Rudd Labor Government’s Emissions Trading Scheme.
“We won that fight last year and we will win it again with the support of all those fair-minded Australians who do not want to have a massive new tax dumped on them.
“In this election year it is good to see that the Australian people are motivated enough to bring their message to Canberra. We will do all that we can to make sure that message is heard.”
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