ScoMo gives mums, dads global warning

Scott Morrison appeals to parents and campaigners on climate change to allow ‘kids to be kids’.

Greta Thunberg and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison, as a father of two, has appealed to parents and campaigners on climate change not to create “needless anxiety” among children and to allow “kids to be kids”.

The Prime Minister, speaking in New York ahead of his address to the United Nations General Assembly said: “Australia’s best days are ahead of it. And young children growing up in Australia should feel great about Australia’s future. I do.’’

“I feel great about my future- for my children, our children as Australians and whatever challenges come our way, we’ll deal with them, like we always have,” he said.

Mr Morrison’s plea not to pass on needless anxiety to children came after Swedish climate change campaigner, 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, had told world leaders at the UN that her dreams had been stolen and humanity was facing mass extinction.

“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, and yet I’m one of the lucky ones,” she said. “People are suffering. People are dying,” she said after glaring at US President Donald Trump at the UN’s climate change summit.

Mr Morrison said he understood how deeply people felt about the issue of climate change but said: “You have got to caution against raising the anxiety of children in the country, yes you have to deal with the policy issues and you have to take them seriously but I don’t want our children having anxieties about these issues.

“I want children growing up in Australia to feel positive about their future and I think it is important that we give them confidence.

“I’m talking about 10 and 12 year old kids and these kids have to have discussions that have perspective and context so that it doesn’t create needless anxiety,” he said.

Using the example of his discussions with his two daughters Mr Morrison said: “I am not saying kids are dumb, I have 10 and 12 year old children and we don’t have deep conversations about emissions reduction targets or what is happening in the Kyoto Protocol and in Paris but, we talk about fossil fuels and we talk about what they learn at school.

“I encourage them to have a passionate and independent view of how they see the world but I also give them a lot of confidence, I don’t allow them to be contorted into one view, I like them to make up their minds but I also like to give them reassurance because the one thing I would not impose on a child is needless anxiety,” he said.

Mr Morrison said the UN, which he was standing near, was a product of the greatest conflict the world has ever seen.

“So, previous generations have faced quiet existential threats in the past and these days I think, and I say this as a parent, we have to make sure our kids understand the facts but also have context and perspective and we do not create an anxiety among children in how we talk about and deal with these very real issues,” he said

“They have enough things to be anxious about, I’ve always liked kids to be kids and we have to let kids to be kids we can’t have them growing up as mushrooms either but at the same time we have to get a bit of context and perspective into this,” he said.

“We’re taking action on climate change. We are meeting our targets. We are planning for Australia’s future,” he said.

Ms Thunberg, who sailed across the Atlantic rather than fly to cut greenhouse gas emissions, has become a central symbol of school student strikes urging action on climate change. But her appearance at the UN has stirred controversy with critics saying she appeared distressed and was being manipulated.

After her speech to the UN Mr Trump was accused of mocking the teenager when he tweeted that: “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”