Thousands of school students strike to demand climate change action
Students across Australia have skipped school to demand government action on climate change.
Marches were today planned for 50 cities and towns around the country and thousands have gathered with placards calling on the government to #FundOurFutureNotGas.
The protesters want the Federal Government to withdraw support and subsidies for gas projects and instead fund renewable energy initiatives and First Nations-backed solutions for protecting the environment.
Thousands gathered in Sydney united by their concern for their future. Edwina Pickles/SMH
Sydney students braved the bleak weather, saying they were striking for their future "because they didn't have a choice". Edwina Pickles/SMH
A protester at the Sydney School Strike 4 Climate. Edwina Pickles/SMH
High school and university students are on strike from classes in a bid to get their message across, but there are many others at the rallies too.
Aerial photos from Sydney show thousands of people lining the streets around Town Hall.
The bleak weather meant many were sheltered under umbrellas.
An estimated crowd of 5000 gathered at Treasury Gardens in Melbourne. Luis Enrique Ascui/The Age
In Brisbane, students gathered in King George Square and further south on the Gold Coast, a group protested on Surfers Paradise beach.
Union members joined students in Melbourne and in Adelaide, thousands blocked traffic on King William Street.
The nationwide strike action comes just days after the Morrison government confirmed it would spend up to $600 million to build a new gas power plant in the NSW Hunter Valley.
On the same day, the International Energy Agency called for an end to new coal mines, oil and gas wells.
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