Politics

Climate Change Protesters Outside Scott Morrison’s House Have Been Arrested

While Australia burns, the Prime Minister is still nowhere to be seen.

by Rachael Conaghan  19 December 2019
Scott Morrison Climate Strike

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Riot police have arrested a group of climate change activists who were protesting outside Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s home in Sydney today.

Tired of marching through the streets, protesters parked themselves outside Kirribilli House to demand action on climate change and voice anger over his decision to take off on holidays while the country he’s supposed to be leading burns.

If anything, the fact that he’s not there only added fuel to their fire — the protest was originally organised in anger at ScoMo’s metaphorical absence, which has now turned into a literal absence.

Some protesters were adamant they would wait there until the prime minister returned from holidays, but this afternoon police arrived and issued move on orders.

A group of people, including Greens MP David Shoebridge, were arrested.

Accusations (and evidence) of poor leadership from our prime minister have been building for weeks.

Stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the role of climate change, palming off the nation-wide fires as a state issue, refusing to meet with former fire chiefs, initially denying extra funding for firefighters — these are just some of the things grating on a public who are sick of choking on hazardous bushfire smoke, and are desperate for something substantial to be done.

The news that our prime minister has taken off on a family holiday — rather than staying to lead the country through a national disaster– just epitomises the angry sentiment.

Not even the declaration of a state of emergency in New South Wales has been enough to drag him back.

The protests coincided with the return of thick smoke which blanketed Sydney and surrounding areas today.