Students protest over climate change outside Tony Abbott’s Manly office

Thousands of schoolchildren across the country skipped lessons to urge politicians to take action over climate change, with a huge turnout outside Warringah MP Tony Abbott’s office in Manly.

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Students skipped school to make their voices heard on climate change at a protest outside MP Tony Abbott’s office in Manly today.

Two of the organisers take a selfie with 400 protesters. Eliza Lo Russo, 15, of Freshwater, from Manly Selective, right, and Varsha Yajman, 16, of Gosford High School, left.

They were calling for a halt to the Adani coal mine, no more new fossil fuels and the use of 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

It was part of 70 planned school strikes around Australia.

Alex Butler, 13, of Avalon and a Barrenjoey High School pupil, gave a powerful speech at the rally. Picture: Julie Cross.

Alex Butler, 13, of Avalon and a Barrenjoey High pupil, was one of many young people who made passionate speeches calling for politicians to take action.

In front of 400 supporters she said the upcoming federal election on May 18 was the “climate election”.

Climate change protest in Manly: Ella Coleman, 13, of Bilgola, and Ruby Drew, 13, of Bilgola, both from Mackellar Girls. Picture: Julie Cross.

She told the Manly Daily students like her were too young to vote but they would be the ones to suffer if something was not done about climate change.

“The politicians are not listening and we want them to listen,” she said.

Ruby Drew, 13, from Bilgola and a student at Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls, said she was fighting for her generation.

Climate change protest in Manly: Friends from schools on the northern beaches at the rally outside Tony Abbott's office. Picture: Julie Cross.

“It’s not right that an older generation is voting for us,” she said.

There were children who came with parents and grandparents, but the majority were pupils who had skipped school to make their voices heard.

Student protesters at the climate change rally in Manly. Picture: Julie Cross.

One Ruby Abercrombie, 15, of Newport and a Pittwater High student said missing one day of school was worth it to make a point.

Her friend Skye Stone, 15, also of Newport and a student at Pittwater High, said: “There’s no point in learning for the future when we don’t know whether we have one.”

Climate change protest in Manly. Pictured: Robbie Graham, 11, of Belrose, who goes to Kamaroi School, Ember McCabe, 14, of Narrabeen and Chelsea McLerie, 14, of Terrey Hills, both Mater Maria students and Charlotte Wood, 14, of Narrabeen, from Mackellar Girls. Picture: Julie Cross.

Mia Susnjara, 13, who goes to Barrenjoey High and lives in Bilgola, said politicians needed to take action.

“We are worried about our future,” she said. “It’s our lives, our children’s lives that will be impacted.”

Two students who got the crowd chanting. Left to right: Meagan Trimble, 15, of Allambie and Yasmin Lin, 15, of Beecroft. Picture: Julie Cross.

Charlotte Wood, 14, from Narrabeen and a student at Mackellar Girls, said she hoped Tony Abbott could hear their protest or would be told about it by his office staff.

“Firstly, politicians are not doing enough or taking climate change seriously,” she said.

“This is my first protest, I hope Tony Abbott takes note.”

Mum Shannon Morrell, 45, of North Balgowlah with her children Ella, 8, and Zoe, 6, at the climate change protest, with their friends. Picture: Julie Cross.

Meanwhile, Tony Abbott was spotted having coffee at Hemingway’s a few hundred metres away from the protest.

He said high school and primary school students should not be skipping class.

Tony Abbott was seen having coffee at Hemingway’s a few hundred metres away from the protests outside his Manly electorate office.

“I think they shouldn’t do it, I think that when you’re at school you’re there to learn, you’re not there to be an activist,” he said.

“I think school teachers who encourage activism in their kids, certainly activism in school hours, are actually doing their kids damage.

“If you are a school teacher, it’s a very honorable vocation, you are absolutely duty-bound to do the right thing by your kids, not to hurt them.”

When asked if he had heard the message from students, Mr Abbott said he had spoken to several children inside in Hemingway’s while having a coffee.

“As I said to the kids in there who came to see me, I said I respect your idealism and your passion, but my duty is to tell you what I believe is the truth,” he said.

“Often enough, you’ve got to temper idealism with realism.”

A demonstrator with a giant head in the likeness of former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott holds a sign referencing a comment by Abbott made in 2017 belittling the science of climate change. Picture: Rick Rycroft

Adults were also at the rally to support children.

Mum Shannon Morrell, 45, of North Balgowlah, was there with her children Ella, 8, and Zoe, 6, because she said they were concerned about climate change.

They were joined by a number of their young friends.

Climate change protest Manly. Picture: Julie Cross.

“My kids want to see change and they are annoyed no-one is going anything,” she said.

Meanwhile, in the Mackellar electorate there was another small protest of around 20 people outside Liberal MP Jason Falinski’s office.

Greens candidate for Mackellar Pru Wawn with supporters outside Liberal MP Jason Falinski's office. Picture: Supplied.