Three Victorian students who staged a protest in state parliament during question time say they were forced to act due to the government’s inaction on climate change.
Question time was briefly paused on Tuesday afternoon after the trio unfurled banners from the public gallery, which promoted Friday’s upcoming Schools Strike 4 Climate rally.
Protestors in Victorian question time. MPs are leaving the chambers. More to come via @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/ftPyCtQio1
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) November 14, 2023
The students – Joey Thompson, Myles Wilkinson and Diana, who asked for her surname not be published – sang, “Which side are you on? History will remember you” to the chamber of MPs before they were escorted from the parliament by protective service officers.
The Speaker, Maree Edwards, ordered MPs to leave the chamber for about eight minutes before proceedings resumed.
Speaking outside after the protest, the trio said they had been ordered to stay away from parliament for a week.
Diana, 19, said young people should be out enjoying themselves but were forced to protest because “politicians aren’t doing their job”.
“The reasons students are taking time off school is because when politicians aren’t listening to the educated people who have been in the field of research and climate catastrophes for decades, and they’re not listening to the evidence, what’s the point of me going to school?” she said.
Thompson, 16, added: “We’re not the ones that need to be taught a lesson here. It’s the politicians in this parliament who need to be taught the lesson that fossil fuels are not OK.”
Wilkinson, also 16, urged Victorian students to attend the upcoming rally.
“The government is supposed to protect its people,” he said, “but instead it’s allowing and funding the continued extraction, exportation and burning of fossil fuels driving the climate crisis which threatens every species on the planet, including us.
“We have come to parliament today to demand an end to all new coal and gas projects in Australia.”
In a statement, Victoria police confirmed they would not be pressing charges against the students. They said they were called to Parliament House after the students unfurled banners, then “spoke to the teenagers and escorted them from the building”.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, briefly thanked parliament staff for keeping MPs “safe and secure” but made no mention of the protest when question time resumed.
“We appreciate their assistance for having our question time resume. I am delighted,” she said.
Courageous school strikers demanding and end to coal and gas and a safe climate future ❤️ Question time shut down and protesters removed by PSOs.
— Gabrielle de Vietri (@GabrielledeVie) November 14, 2023
When the future of the planet is at stake, business as usual is no longer tenable. pic.twitter.com/RA4jAcukuA
The protest was backed by the Greens, including their four lower house MPs, who posed for a selfie mid-protest.
“Courageous school strikers demanding an end to coal and gas and a safe climate future,” Richmond MP Gabrielle de Vietri posted on X.
“Question time shut down and protesters removed by PSOs. When the future of the planet is at stake, business as usual is no longer tenable.”
The manager of opposition business, James Newbury, called on Edwards to refer De Vietri to the privileges committee over the post.
“I’m sure that I share the views of all members in this place that they’re concerned about that photo being posted and that a member has both taken it and effectively advertised that protest,” he said in the chamber.
On Wednesday, Edwards asked De Vietri to apologise for the photo but she refused to. The chamber then voted to suspend her for the remainder of the sitting week without pay.
Speaking outside parliament after her suspension, De Vietri said she had done nothing wrong and stood by her support of the students.
She said her suspension was an attempt by the government and opposition to distract from the message of the protesters.
“Labor and the Liberals would rather focus on me taking a selfie in the chamber than they would focus on the fact that there are going to be thousands of kids out there on the streets demanding that they stop opening up coal and gas projects,” De Vietri said.
