Most people in the urban areas are not even aware of his plight and that of hundreds of farmers in the same situation. Please if you are overseas or have overseas connections this shameful story needs to get outside Australia. Prime Minister Rudd and co. have no idea of the anger out here in rural Australia. Local radio has been reporting 24 hours a day on this with the stations being overwhelmed by callers...but Sydneysiders have not even heard of this man.
just type in "Peter Spencer property for more"
Protest ... Peter Spencer won't come down from this tower until he can talk to PM Kevin Rudd. Source: The Daily Telegraph
AS HIS health begins to fail, protesting farmer Peter Spencer swore yesterday he would die before giving in to a Federal Government decision to make his farm a carbon sink.
That vow came as his four children and newborn grandchild arrived in Canberra from the US to support the 58-year-old on day 37 of the protest.
Mr Spencer, who is chained to a wind tower more than 20m above ground, claims the government declared his property in Shannons Flat, north of Cooma, a carbon sink without offering any compensation. He says the move has left him unable to earn a living because he cannot clear land and redevelop the farm, and he is demanding a personal meeting with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to discuss the issue.
Aaron, Emma, Kahn and Sarah Spencer, who were all raised on the property, arrived home on Christmas Day and intend to stay until January 8. Sarah, 30, a registered nurse in her adopted home of Grand Rapids, Michigan, planned to examine her father yesterday after introducing him to her four-month-old son Saxon.
"I've got my stethoscope and blood pressure cuff so I want to assess him," the farmer's daughter said. "I want to listen to his lungs, check his blood pressure and look at the swelling on his ankles. The problem is even if I tell him that I think he's coming down with pneumonia or that his kidneys are weakening ... he won't come down.
"It's heartbreaking ... but he's still very much with it mentally and is the same father we've always known. I just don't know how quickly he'll deteriorate. We're going to support him. He will come down if [Mr Rudd] makes an agreement or he'll die waiting."
Aaron and Kahn climbed the tower to give their father warm clothes and helped set up a tent to protect him from heavy rainfall.
A spokesperson for Mr Rudd yesterday said the Government had "urged" Mr Spencer to stop the protest.
"The Agriculture Minister responded to Mr Spencer's letter on the Prime Minister's behalf, however the Government believes this matter should be settled through the legal system and urges Mr Spencer in the strongest possible terms to end his protest and seek medical attention," the spokesperson said. "The Government sets policy in the national interest. This policy will not be changed by threats of violence or self-harm."
Part one recorded on day 16
Part two recorded on day 16
3 comments:
I would like to wish you a happy new year, but it seems inappriopriate on such a sad blogpost.
Did you get the Christmas card I posted?
peace and love X X X
SNAP!!
we were posting comments at each other's blogs simultaneously.
wot karma.
mwah mwah
Thanks Ann for the happy new year...am just hoping that along with the thousands of others now aware of Peter Spencer and hundred's of other farmers' plight, that we can internationally shame Rudd and Abbott - thats about all they care about looking good to Obama and the others
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