Over a million young people around the world took part in the Student Strike for Climate on Friday, with large crowds in cities and regional centres across Australia. We have a lot to learn from these young leaders. While they are disillusioned with the performance of our political class, they are not disengaged or disinterested. On the contrary, these protests were an expression of hope — these kids know they are the future, and they are ready to take the reins. This is a crucial moment for our political future: previous student strikes against Hansonism and the invasion of Iraq were ignored and led to widespread cynicism, and we must ensure that does not happen again. We must respond to the leadership of our young people and show them that collective action is the best way to achieve progressive change.
17 March 2019