Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister: This Friday, many thousands of students across the country will go on strike from school, calling for emergency action on climate change. These brave and courageous kids are joining young people around the world who are angry at the failure of governments, including yours, to secure their future—

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They should be in class. Are you supporting that?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne will pause. The Deputy Prime Minister will cease interjecting. Don't have any hesitation: I'll take action if I'm ignored. The member for Melbourne will begin his question again.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister: This Friday, many thousands of students across the country will go on strike from school, calling for emergency action on climate change. These brave and courageous kids are joining young people around the world, who are angry at the failure of governments, including yours, to secure their future from global warming. Prime Minister, will you join me in praising these students for having a go, and will you meet with and listen to these kids, who are demanding action from your government to keep coal in the ground?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Climate change is a very real and serious issue which demands the attention of governments at all levels. It has the attention of this government, through the Emissions Reduction Fund, the renewable energy target, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, our Snowy 2.0 initiative, energy efficiency measures, and our commitment to 26 per cent of an emissions reduction target, which we remain committed to. We're committed to all of these things. But I'll tell you what we're also committed to: kids should go to school. That's what we're committed to. We don't support the idea of kids not going to school, to participate in things that can be dealt with outside of school. Each day, I send my kids to school, and I know other members' kids should also go to school. But we do not support our schools being turned into parliaments. We think kids should be in school learning, whether it's about those issues or maths, science, English, literature, Indigenous history, Australian history. That's what they should be there doing. And so what we want is more learning in schools and less activism in schools.