Anti-carbon pricing rally 'a flop'

Wikinews
August 23, 2011

An anti-carbon pricing protest staged on the lawn of Parliament House in Canberra Monday failed to live up to its hype. Truck convoys from across Australia were to drive into the Country's capital, and the predicted 10,000 truck traffic was expected to shut down parts of the capital.

However the 'convoy of no confidence' numbered fewer than 300 trucks, and a senior Gillard government member claimed that those who did appear were unfocused and "extremists".

2GB Radio broadcaster Alan Jones, who played master of ceremonies at the rally, claimed the less than expected numbers were due to Federal Police barricading entry into the territory, and said it was "the most disgraceful thing that has ever been done to democracy". Police however were baffled by the claim and denied prohibiting entry. "No trucks had been stopped at the border, and no people had been prevented from attending the rally," a spokeswoman for Canberra police said.

Jones recently came under scrutiny for claims of making up inaccurate statistics on climate change, but Jones claimed he was a "broadcaster" and that much of what he said was opinion, that he doesn't fall under the category of "journalist".

Protest Organizer Mick Pattel, the National Road Freight Association president and a former Liberal-National Party candidate in Queensland, supported Jones, saying "The system of government we have in place is controlled by the Greens and independents and we believe it's not a democratic system we have at the moment."

But Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said Mr Pattel was an extremist who said on his website that "a global government could bring in an international army to quell any uprising in the rogue countries if we shut down after the treaty - that is the Copenhagen agreement - is signed".

Pattel stood by his views that climate change action could be considered a global conspiracy.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbot also addressed the rally, saying "All of us here today agree that we don't need a carbon tax. We do need an election," but distanced himself from some of the views held by protesters.

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