Federal politicians have called on a protesting grazier to end his hunger strike atop a 20-metre-high wind tower, as hundreds of supporters rallied in Canberra.
Peter Spencer says he hasn't eaten since November 23. He remains perched on an eight- by four-foot platform on top of the tower at his Shannon's Flat property near Cooma.
The grazier is demanding the Rudd government hold a royal commission into land-clearing laws that prevent him from felling native vegetation on his property.
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Supporters gather in capital
Mr Spencer also wants to be compensated for the loss of potential farming land.
Federal opposition finance spokesman Barnaby Joyce on Monday addressed about 300 supporters of Mr Spencer who gathered in Canberra outside Parliament House.
"The whole reason this support is here is to try and get Mr Spencer down," the Queensland Nationals senator said.
"To a person, we say: `Please, Peter, don't hurt yourself, please desist from your hunger strike and we give you our commitment to fight this issue continually.'"
Liberal backbencher Bill Heffernan said Mr Spencer should be returned to earth forcibly.
Family support
But Mr Spencer's children - recently returned to Australia from the United States - don't think their father is about to come down or resume eating.
"We came over from overseas not to get him down, we came here to support him," Kahn Spencer said.
"People have been asking him to come down for weeks now, but if he'd come down four weeks ago we all wouldn't be here right now, and this wouldn't have got the attention that it's got."
Sarah Spencer said her father's health was deteriorating and she'd like nothing more than to give him a hug on the ground before she returned to the US later this week.
"(But) he has strong resolve, and I think he will hold true to his word," she told the rally.
"He's waiting for a royal commission and he's demanding that the farmers get paid."
Senator Joyce said it was time for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to "grasp the nettle" and start talking about "how to deliver justice" on the issue.
The problem existed because the government stole farmers' assets, he said.
'Communism'
"It's obscene - the government became the thief of an asset," he said.
"There's a word for that and unfortunately, without being too dramatic, the word is communism."
The opposition finance spokesman said given Australia's current debt levels it would be "almost impossible" to compensate the 300,000 farmers thought to be affected at a cost of possibly $100 billion.
The alternative was to revisit the native vegetation laws.
"If you can't pay for it, give it back," Senator Joyce said.
"Do we have to change the legislation to give people back some of the rights taken off them?"
