St Marys Senior High School student Chloe Sutcliffe stood united alongside other local activists on Friday, rallying for the government to do more about climate change.
Ms Sutcliffe organised the rally in line with the “Fund Our Future Not Gas” protests that took place all over the country on behalf of the School Strike 4 Climate network and First Nations communities.
More than 3000 Climate Strikes were planned around the world on Friday as part of the Fridays for Future movement, made famous by Greta Thunberg.
The purpose of this rally was to call on the Federal Government to ‘fund their future’, not the gas industry.
Ms Sutcliffe said she was sacrificing her last day of Year 12 for the cause, but was passionate about getting the important message across.
“We are all protesting and rallying together to demand resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders for their land rights instead of mining for coal and gas and that public funds are no longer given to fossil fuel companies and projects,” she told the Weekender.
“I think it’s important for individuals to take ownership and responsibility over their own future and was really grateful that we were able to organise this with an array of generations.
“We as students are paving the way for what we want for our future and the generations to come.”
Ms Sutcliffe said she joined the climate change movement last year and attended the 2019 Climate Strike rally in the Sydney CBD.
“Getting on board and looking at the resources, the facts and scientific evidence, I’ve really been able to gain a deeper understanding,” she said.
The modestly attended protest was registered with Nepean Police Area Command with restrictions on numbers to ensure it was COVID-safe.
Nicola Barton
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Nicola Barton is a news journalist with the Western Weekender, primarily covering crime and politics.