Today’s carbon tax rally in Canberra was a simple request by concerned Australians for the Gillard government to give the nation its democratic right to have its say at an election.

The Nationals Senator for New South Wales John Williams addressed the rally and said people would not have been protesting if they had not been lied to before last year’s election.

He said the carbon tax will not achieve anything for the environment but it will take its toll on jobs and industries, particularly in regional Australia.

“The Gillard government has misread the anger in the nation. People have travelled from all parts of the nation to spend a couple of hours trying to get the government, the Greens and their Independent colleagues Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott to see sense.

Their resolve is personified by a truck driver who walked from Albury and arrived at the rally with a petition.

The proponents of this carbon tax were bunkered down in their offices refusing to acknowledge their fellow Australians. Based on the mood of the thousands participating today, the rage will not go away and there is nowhere they can hide”, Senator Williams said.