Two buses packed with people are leaving Tamworth and Armidale to join a nationwide road trip heading to Canberra for an anti-renewable energy rally.
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The National Rally Against Reckless Renewables on Tuesday, February 6, is expected to draw about 50 grass-roots organisations from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, to the lawns of federal parliament for the event.
The date coincides with the first sitting day of the House of Representatives, with a line-up of speakers including New England MP Barnaby Joyce, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, and Senator Matthew Canavan among others.
Nemingha local Ian Coxhead, the treasurer of National Rational Energy Network NREN, is organising the Tamworth bus which will leave on Monday, February 5, and stay overnight in Canberra before departing before 5pm on the day of the rally.
"If you don't like what's going on with our countryside being criss-crossed and zig-zagged with transmission lines and covered by solar panels and wind turbines, then think seriously about jumping on board the bus and coming down with us to demonstrate on the day," Mr Coxhead said.
Meanwhile, Uralla farmer John Peatfield and his group, RED4NE, have planned to have a bus leave from Armidale on February 5, for the journey. The Armidale bus is expected to stay overnight in Goulburn before continuing towards the nation's capital for the rally on February 6.
Both groups have requested those who want to join them to get in contact before January 21, 2024, as "last minute" bookings will not be accepted, Mr Peatfield said.
"We have to have firm bookings within the next seven days because we can't have people showing up at the last minute," Mr Peatfield said.
"Just this week we decided to alert people that we will put a bus on if there is enough support."
- Contact: Ian Coxhead icoxhead@bigpond.net.au for Tamworth bus or John Peatfield admin@red4ne.com for the Armidale bus.
