A march on Parliament House to protest “erosion” of property rights may not be the last, according to NSW Farmers’ Association president Charles Armstrong.
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Thousands of people including farmers from the Dubbo, Nyngan and Tottenham regions travelled to Canberra yesterday to call for “fair and reasonable compensation” when property rights were taken away.
Both Mr Armstrong and Barwon MP Kevin Humphries were declaring the action a success yesterday but they indicated the struggle was not over yet.
Monaro farmer Peter Spencer who held a hunger strike for 52 days to protest property rights took centre stage at the rally.
It also attracted radio announcer Alan Jones, politicians, thousands of farmers and a number of business people.
The “fantastic” turn out was more than Mr Armstrong expected.
“There was a strong message sent to both sides of government,” he said.
“The issue of lack of compensation for property rights has to be addressed.”
When asked if he thought they had achieved their goal, Mr Armstrong said it was an election year.
“It will be part of an ongoing campaign that these requirements are considered and action taken to fix the problem,” he said.
The mood of the crowd was “passionate” and Mr Armstrong said it indicated its huge frustration and rage that governments could do what they had done.
Mr Armstrong said property rights were being eroded in ways that affected many people, including a large contingent from the Nyngan and Tottenham districts that belonged to the Regional Community Survival Group had attended the rally.
Mr Armstrong said the NSW Farmers would go on fighting the issue.
“The legislation has to be fixed to remove the injustice,” he said. “It depends what progress we make ... if we need to, we’ll be here again.”
The rally had the Opposition from the top down pledging support to the property rights cause.
“The Opposition leader Tony Abbott also spoke and gave a clear commitment to ensure that
governments do not interfere with property rights without just compensation,” Mr Armstrong said.
The rally had sent a clear issue to all governments that property rights were a mainstream issue, Mr Humphries said. Business people and city dwellers had joined landholders at the rally, he said.
“Governments should not be putting people out of work or business,” he said.
The State Opposition would be taking the issue to the March 2011 election.
“We said we’d repeal the native vegetation act . . . we know we can do better,” Mr Humphries said.
Federal agriculture minister Tony Burke, who did not attend the rally, was to meet with Mr Armstrong and farmers later yesterday.
