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The CommonFascism of Australia

NEWS: PROTEST IN CANBERRA Mon 4th (see below)

Photo Peter Spencer
It’s Day 43 without food, and Peter Spencer grows weaker. For those who don’t know, Peter Spencer’s farm has been stolen from him by our government through Native Vegetation Legislation — which locked up 80 – 90%  of his entire farm but paid him no compensation. The regrowth on his farm holds “carbon credits” of supposed value to the Commonwealth, yet Peter has been obliged by law to pay the rates on that land-that-holds-these-carbon-credits, and the mortgage for the right to do nothing with this land that really belongs to the Commonwealth. Is this not an extortionate tax?

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has declined all requests to meet Peter.

In a grand failure of journalism, our largest dailies apparently think angry tweeting travelers is more important than that a $10 billion dollars crime, and a life in the balance.

Peter Spencer tried ingenious means to work within the rules. But he has been driven into bankruptcy. The 200 days he spent in court, with all costs associated with just trying to have his case heard, added to the burden. (200 days!) After there was no other route left open to him he started a hunger strike on the wind-monitoring pole atop his property.

“A spokesperson for Mr Rudd yesterday said the Government had “urged” Mr Spencer to stop the protest. … the Government believes this matter should be settled through the legal system…” [Source Daily Telegraph]

Listen to this heartbreaking interview of an articulate, dedicated and tenacious man brought down by a failure of the Australian legal system, the  failure of the Australian free press, and a failure of successive governments at State and Federal Level and from both sides of the political fence. If you only have three minutes, listen from 5 minutes to the 8 minute mark.

Audio MP3 of Peter Spencer as he tells his story

If that link doesn’t work see the AgMates page for the interview.

http://www.rippleaffect.com.au/dewplayer.swf?mp3=http://agmates.ning.com/group/peterspencerhungerstrike/forum/attachment/download?id=3535428%3AUploadedFi35%3A47901&showtime=1

Map of Peter Spencers Farm location, Shannon Flats, near Cooma and Canberra, in NSW Australia

This poignant interview should leave any citizen chilled to the bone. We think we are free, we think our elected representatives are there to serve us. Yet if we are unlucky, we too could be crushed by government ruling, financial ruined, and effectively pecked to death by legislative vultures.

What Peter has been through is appalling. Government ineptitude or corruption has effectively forced him to be a slave of the Commonwealth with no just rewards for his work. Peter is now destitute, and his wife is Danish, so she has moved to Denmark so she could work as a pharmacist. He has hardly seen her in the last three years. His wife and children have made an emotional return to be with him in this desperate hour.

It is dire. The Sheriff has warned that they will repossess Peter Spencer’s farm within the next eight days, evict his supporters from his house, auction off his property and belongings, and sell his family heirlooms. Thirty years of toil and struggle destroyed. Peter has said they will have to drag him away.

Here is a top farmer, producing the finest merino wool or high grade trout, and even prepared to set up a wind farm, but has been cut to pieces bit by bit as each legislative change robbed him and his ingenuity of every possible productive use of his property.

Peter tried to set up a wind-farm. The Howard government changes the rules, making it unworkable (though Peter has fruitlessly invested some money prior to the changes). The Rudd government bought the renewable energy rules back, but too late for Peter. The multi-million dollar wind farm development story he speaks of in the interview was described by the ABC. If the developers buy his property (as they want to) they will save millions in royalties that Peter could have earned part of.

How many good farmers have already been pushed over the limit to the point where they used a gun, and were safely bewailed as a so-called victim of “drought” (and “climate change”)?

If there are farmers out there facing ruin and at the end of your tether, please, curry the strength to tell us your story, don’t let the fascists win. I don’t believe for a moment that the good people of Australia would let this grievously unfair fascist state grow stronger if they knew how bad it was. There are only a few times in our lives when we need to sit up and pay attention, but this is one of them. If we let them get away with stealing, with corruption, and with negligence the real fight in 5 or 10 years time will be that much harder and bloodier.

What can you do?

PROTEST in CANBERRA Monday Jan 4th. Brief Details of the March.  Arrive at 10.30 at Magna Carta Park, behind Old Parliament House Canberra. Various speakers will address everyone assembled.  March will go to New Parliament house & then to the Lodge where more speeches / activities will occur.
See http://www.sosnews.org/ for more info. Contact Alistair McRobert on 02 64545141 if you need to chat about precise details

Plenty of little things make a big difference. Join the AgMates supporters of Peter Spencer’s, or write to your elected representative, and send messages to your friends. Warn them that the media is not giving them the real news. Write letters to your newspapers. Shame them for their failure. Why isn’t Kevin Rudd being embarrassed over his failure to even meet with Peter Spencer? There ought be nothing less than an immediate Royal Commission.

The only Australian newspaper which is treating this seriously is The Daily Telegraph, which also did a story a few days ago. The Advertiser may have run a reprint? The Australian only covered it accidentally as a chance to ping Barnaby Joyce. Readers of  The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The West Australian, The Mercury and The Courier Mail, wouldn’t have any idea that this travesty and dire situation is unfolding. Their readers ought to be angry. Let’s shame them into doing their jobs.

My previous story on Peter Spencer, where comments are still running strong.

UPDATE:  SHOCK! PROTEST BUSES MAY HAVE BEEN CANCELED BY RTA?

Could this be real? An unnamed officer from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has said that five inspectors were dispatched to the North and the West of the state to target buses headed for Canberra for this protest. At least two bus drivers have confirmed that their buses were booked to go, but have been cancelled due to the RTA harassment. Buses can be held for up to six hours in the road side inspection places whilst being assessed for mechanical defects and and driving breaches. It’s all “technically” legal and profoundly disturbing.

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