A crowd of 1000 people marched through the Perth CBD to Parliament House on October 30 to tell the Western Australian government to keep the state GMO (genetically modified organism)-free.
The WA Liberal/National government has proposed the commercial production of GM cotton on the Ord River in the state's north, as well as trials of GM canola.
Farmers marched along St Georges Terrace with their livestock, as placard-waving protesters chanted, "Farmers say no to GMO" and "Keep WA GE-free".
Outside Parliament House various speakers addressed the rally. Tasmanian environmentalist, Peter Cundall, of Gardening Australia fame, told the gathering GMO was poison and must be opposed. He concluded: "We can win on this one".
WA Permaculture celebrity, Josh Byrne, told the crowd they had to keep coming back until the government listened and banned GM crops.
When the agriculture minister, Terry Redman, confirmed that the government was going ahead with GM cotton and the canola trials, the crowd responded with a loud "No" and chants.
Rally organisers presented Redman with a petition signed by 27,000 people.