Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce said today he supports the action of the Commonwealth Property Protection Association in fighting for the protection of their right to the ownership of property, a fundamental cornerstone of the free enterprise system.

"Members of this group, like so many others in Australia, have had the ownership of an item of property taken from them without compensation by the Government. I believe the Government has a right to acquire assets when absolutely necessary but it does not have the right to steal them." Senator Joyce said.

"We must see this for what it is, that theft by the Government without due compensation diminishes the security of all who own property. If the Government wants to walk into your living room and say it is essential for them to own your carpet, it should be indisputable that you have a right to fair compensation.

"When the Government removes an asset from the individual without just and fair compensation and vests it in the state, for communal ownership, then there is a term for that and it is 'communism'.

"We must not get sucked into the belief that this theft of assets by the Government is allowable because it only concerns people on rural lands. The principle of the issue is paramount and any person who calls themselves a conservative, especially an economic conservative, should be completely vigilant in the protection of the right of private ownership."