The reception for Mr Howard when he visited Bathurst.

Silent reception for PM

By Noel Creenaune

When Prime Minister John Howard turned up for a luncheon in Bathurst on May 25 several hundred protesters fell silent and turned their back on him.

The protest was organised by the Your Rights at Work Macquarie branch.

Protesters started gathering more than an hour before the Prime Minister made his appearance. They stood behind barricades on one side of the street, while Mr Howard's supporters gathered on the other. The workers staffed a barbecue, offering lunch for 95 cents in a tongue-in-cheek joke at the expense of those who paid $95 for the privilege of having lunch with the Prime Minister.

The workers chanted slogans, sang songs, waved signs and homemade banners, and jeered Macquarie MP Kerry Bartlett. Bathurst residents are currently represented by Calare MP Peter Andren, but at the federal election the boundaries change and Bathurst people will elect the MP for the redrawn seat of Macquarie, for which Kerry Bartlett is the sitting member and will be the Liberal candidate.

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