WEBVTT - Why thousands of students are striking today

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<v Speaker 1>My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda

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<v Speaker 1>Bungelung Calcottin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges

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<v Speaker 1>that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the

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<v Speaker 1>Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and torrest

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<v Speaker 1>Right island and nations. We pay our respects to the

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<v Speaker 1>first peoples of these countries, both past and present.

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<v Speaker 2>Good morning and welcome to the Daily os It's Friday,

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<v Speaker 2>the seventeenth of November. I'm Emma Gillespie.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm beliefit Simon's climate change is here.

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<v Speaker 4>It is terrifying and it is just the beginning.

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<v Speaker 5>This fire emergency has been raging since Monday.

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<v Speaker 4>Flight evacuations continued into the night across the Gippsland region.

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<v Speaker 2>Today, thousands of young people are expected to skip school

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<v Speaker 2>to strike for climate action. If we don't stand up

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<v Speaker 2>against these politicians who will not listen, if we don't

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<v Speaker 2>make them, I guess our future doesn't look as good.

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<v Speaker 4>If we continue on the trajectory that we are on.

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<v Speaker 4>The precious places, landscapes, animals and plans that we think

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<v Speaker 4>of when we think of home may not be here

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<v Speaker 4>for our kids and grandkids.

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<v Speaker 3>The Schools Strike for Climate has been gaining momentum in

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<v Speaker 3>recent years and has become a national day of action

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<v Speaker 3>from some of the country's youngest activists.

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<v Speaker 2>We'll have more on who's protesting and where, what they're

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<v Speaker 2>calling for, and what the government has to say about

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<v Speaker 2>it in today's Deep Dive. But first, really an update

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<v Speaker 2>on the Commonwealth Games.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, Australia has been warned it has three months to

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<v Speaker 3>find a state to host the twenty twenty six Commonwealth

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<v Speaker 3>Games before the common Game's Federation seeks out other options.

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<v Speaker 3>It comes after former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews pulled out

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<v Speaker 3>of his state's commitment to host, citing budget concerns earlier

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<v Speaker 3>this year. The Federation says there are three other regions

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<v Speaker 3>that have signaled interest in hosting the next Commonwealth Games,

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<v Speaker 3>but it did not name those regions.

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<v Speaker 2>The Federal Transport Minister Catherine King has acted fifty rail

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<v Speaker 2>and road projects across the country after an independent review

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<v Speaker 2>found costs were expected to blow out by thirty three

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<v Speaker 2>billion dollars. These projects include commuter car parks, motorway interchanges,

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<v Speaker 2>and road upgrades in regional areas. The state where the

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<v Speaker 2>most projects are being canceled is New South Wales, but

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<v Speaker 2>the NT is the only jurisdiction to have no infrastructural

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<v Speaker 2>projects cut.

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<v Speaker 3>Australian tennis player Nick Kirios has said the stars would

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<v Speaker 3>have to align a little bit if he was to

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<v Speaker 3>make a successful comeback to tennis. Once ranked thirteenth in

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<v Speaker 3>the world, Kurios is now unranked after knee surgery and

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<v Speaker 3>a torn ligament in his right wrist.

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<v Speaker 2>And the good news, Coles has announced its quiet Hour

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<v Speaker 2>is expanding to weekday evenings. Coals stores around the nation

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<v Speaker 2>will turn down the cash register sounds, play music on

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<v Speaker 2>the low hot volume, and only use the PA system

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<v Speaker 2>in emergencies from Monday to Friday six pm to seven pm.

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<v Speaker 2>Quiet Our aims to make the supermarket more accessible for

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<v Speaker 2>customers who might experience anxiety or stress in loud environments.

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<v Speaker 2>Thousands of students across Australia are going on strike today

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<v Speaker 2>for stronger climate action. And it's not just kids who

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<v Speaker 2>are calling for change. Climate scientists, doctors, experts, teachers and

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<v Speaker 2>parents have also thrown their weight behind these rallies to

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<v Speaker 2>show their support for young people participating in school strike

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<v Speaker 2>for climate.

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<v Speaker 3>Now today we are going to hear from one of

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<v Speaker 3>those students who are taking part in this action. But

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<v Speaker 3>before we get into that, can you just explain who

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<v Speaker 3>or what is School Strike for Climate.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, so this is a group of student activists protest

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<v Speaker 2>organizers known as School Strike for Climate, and at the

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<v Speaker 2>heart of their activism are calls for the federal government

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<v Speaker 2>to move away from fossil fuels. So school Strike for

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<v Speaker 2>Climate are pushing for an end for colon gas projects.

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<v Speaker 2>And this is a national collective, so we're talking about

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<v Speaker 2>student activists from all over the country, so you can

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<v Speaker 2>expect to see protests in plenty of the major capital

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<v Speaker 2>cities and in the regions. But as I mentioned earlier,

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<v Speaker 2>the group has support from multiple Australian climate scientists and experts.

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<v Speaker 2>You might have seen this week that Ossie climate scientists

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<v Speaker 2>actually shared a downloadable version of a doctor's certificate for

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<v Speaker 2>students to send to their schools today, because obviously, if

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<v Speaker 2>you're a school student participating in a protest on a

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<v Speaker 2>school day, you're not in class, and the certificate says

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<v Speaker 2>that the student can't attend class because of a major

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<v Speaker 2>climate health concern, with lists of symptoms like increased anxiety,

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<v Speaker 2>elevated stress and feelings of despair.

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<v Speaker 3>Now, Emma, you interviewed a high school student about today.

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<v Speaker 3>Who did you speak to?

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<v Speaker 2>So you're going to hear from Minn Park who actually

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<v Speaker 2>spoke to us from her school to talk about today's action,

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<v Speaker 2>which is the only time TDA has ever endorsed phones

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<v Speaker 2>at school. Min is heading to the protests in Sydney

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<v Speaker 2>and she's a spokesperson for this year's school strike for

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<v Speaker 2>climate Hello, min, thank you so much for making time

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<v Speaker 2>with us. Welcome to the podcast. What is the point

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<v Speaker 2>of today's action?

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<v Speaker 5>Well, school strike is all about empowering young people to

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<v Speaker 5>take action for climate justice while because we are going

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<v Speaker 5>to be bearing the brunch of the climate crisis if

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<v Speaker 5>we don't address the problem. And I think the action

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<v Speaker 5>today is mainly due to the government's in action and

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<v Speaker 5>the government's complacency with doing nothing while actively making the

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<v Speaker 5>situation work, such as approving more projects, because we recognize

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<v Speaker 5>that the climate crisis is here right now and it's

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<v Speaker 5>affecting all of us.

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<v Speaker 6>And we have a responsibility to do something about it.

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<v Speaker 2>Now I'm in Sydney. There's a rally happening down the

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<v Speaker 2>road from where I'm sitting right now. What is the

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<v Speaker 2>scale of today's protests, how many students are striking and

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<v Speaker 2>where are they striking.

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<v Speaker 5>We're expecting around three thousand people last time we checked,

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<v Speaker 5>but there has been a lot of media coverage, so

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<v Speaker 5>we're expecting a bit more than that. And we're going

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<v Speaker 5>to be marching down to Tanya Pliparsex office because Tanya

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<v Speaker 5>is the Environment Minister and while she should be doing

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<v Speaker 5>something to protect the environment, it is in our hands

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<v Speaker 5>right now and that's unacceptable.

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<v Speaker 2>We've seen in the news this week these doctor's certificates

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<v Speaker 2>and climate experts who came together and wrote these doctor's

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<v Speaker 2>certificates to kind of give protesting students permission to be

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<v Speaker 2>there today. What's your experience been like obviously you're not

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<v Speaker 2>at school today. How have you been supported in that?

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<v Speaker 5>Well, the climate doctor certificates we're mainly designed to give

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<v Speaker 5>students the confidence of coming out to the strike, to

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<v Speaker 5>give them assurance that there are people like them, There

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<v Speaker 5>are experts that are supporting this idea that the climate.

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<v Speaker 5>We are in a climate crisis right now and it

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<v Speaker 5>is really becoming worse.

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<v Speaker 2>How do you feel when you look at the cause

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<v Speaker 2>of the climate strikes? School students you're a teenager yourself

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<v Speaker 2>and you're marching for action by decision makers who are

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<v Speaker 2>much older than you. What's that experience been like.

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<v Speaker 5>Well, honestly, it's very frustrating that we even have to

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<v Speaker 5>go out on the street and skip school to tell

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<v Speaker 5>the government that they're not doing their job right. It

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<v Speaker 5>shouldn't be our responsibility to take care of the environment

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<v Speaker 5>and or like make policies or encourage policies that stand up.

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<v Speaker 6>That should be the government doing that. The government should

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<v Speaker 6>be addressing all these issues.

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<v Speaker 5>But it is very frustrating that we have to come

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<v Speaker 5>out here again and again, like this is I think

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<v Speaker 5>the fifth year that we've done this, and it's very

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<v Speaker 5>frustrating that policymakers still have not changed their stance on

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<v Speaker 5>this and are continuously greenwashing.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you got schoolmates friends you all going together? How

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<v Speaker 2>do your parents feel about this? And has your school

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<v Speaker 2>said that it's okay?

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<v Speaker 6>My school that I'm going to right now?

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<v Speaker 5>As a public school, they can't be supportive, But I

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<v Speaker 5>think my school community is quite supportive. There are my

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<v Speaker 5>friends are coming to the strike and there are going

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<v Speaker 5>to be a lot of people. There are also a

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<v Speaker 5>lot of people from school strikes that are organizing it,

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<v Speaker 5>that are also coming, so it's quite a large community

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<v Speaker 5>that are coming with us, and my parents are quite

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<v Speaker 5>supportive as well, so that's really good for me.

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<v Speaker 2>Obviously, we're talking about long term goals here, but what

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<v Speaker 2>does student advocates really want to get out of today's action.

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<v Speaker 6>That's a great question. The main thing we want to

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<v Speaker 6>get out.

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<v Speaker 5>Of this strike is that the government stops approving of

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<v Speaker 5>new calling gas projects.

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<v Speaker 6>We think that's the most important thing.

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<v Speaker 5>That's the thing we really want to achieve by the

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<v Speaker 5>end of the strike, and we really hope that government.

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<v Speaker 6>After the strike will listen to us.

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<v Speaker 5>We'll listen to young people, Indigenous communities and even our.

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<v Speaker 6>Pacific neighbors who are leaders in the.

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<v Speaker 5>Movement of turning renewables stop funding colin gas.

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<v Speaker 6>So I think that's the main idea.

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<v Speaker 2>You've expressed some frustration disappointment in the government and leadership

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<v Speaker 2>around climate, but as you mentioned, this is a protest

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<v Speaker 2>that's been going for a few years now. Does that

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<v Speaker 2>make you feel hopeful about the future that we have

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<v Speaker 2>so many young people invested in making change in this space.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, I think it's empowering just to be organizing the

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<v Speaker 5>strike even because it's really important that young people's voices

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<v Speaker 5>are being heard and that we have this community of

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<v Speaker 5>people who are passionate about climate justice and that we

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<v Speaker 5>stop the government from just being able to greenwash us

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<v Speaker 5>and doing whatever they want to destroy the planet.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, thank you so much for making time to come

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<v Speaker 2>on this podcast. I know, apart from being involved in

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<v Speaker 2>this action, you are also a school student. You're also

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<v Speaker 2>juggling all the pressures that come with that and life

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<v Speaker 2>as a teenager. So we really appreciate you making time

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<v Speaker 2>for us.

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<v Speaker 6>Oh good, thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, obviously these young people are really passionate about this issue, Billy,

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<v Speaker 2>but I also did want us to talk about the

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<v Speaker 2>government's response to the strikes.

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<v Speaker 3>Yees, So the whole strike is trying to change what

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<v Speaker 3>the government is doing. So have we heard anything from

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<v Speaker 3>the government.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, So the Daily I was reached out to Tanya Plibersex,

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<v Speaker 2>she's the Environment Minister, and Tanya Plibersec said she completely

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<v Speaker 2>understood young people's concerns. She noted the federal government had

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<v Speaker 2>already legislated net zero emissions by twenty fifty although, as

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<v Speaker 2>we discussed recently on TDA, all signs kind of point

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<v Speaker 2>towards Australia not really being on track to achieve those targets.

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<v Speaker 3>What about from an education perspective, is there any concern

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<v Speaker 3>around so many kids around the country missing class today?

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<v Speaker 2>So Education Minister Jason Claire did release a statement saying

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<v Speaker 2>that it's great to see students passionate and engaged on

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<v Speaker 2>the issue, but he said students should be at school

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<v Speaker 2>during school hours. The Greens pushed back on those comments.

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<v Speaker 2>Education spokesperson Senator Penny Onman Pain said she had written

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<v Speaker 2>to Jason Clare urging him to retract his comments. She

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<v Speaker 2>said students are protesting not because they want to skip school,

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<v Speaker 2>but because they are being forced to.

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<v Speaker 3>It is shaping up to be an interesting day. If

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<v Speaker 3>you want to stay across at TDA will be covering

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<v Speaker 3>the rally, So keep an eye out on our Instagram

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<v Speaker 3>And if you learned something from this episode and you're

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<v Speaker 3>listening on Apple Podcasts, please rate and review it. It

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<v Speaker 3>helps the Daily ods grow and find new listeners. It

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<v Speaker 3>only takes a few seconds and it really helps us

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<v Speaker 3>get the word out. We will be back next week.

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<v Speaker 2>Bye, have a great weekend.