Hundreds of students have gathered to protest the federal government's gas-led recovery.
It was the first School Strike 4 Climate demonstration since the coronavirus outbreak.
Young people in more than 50 capital cities and regional locations voiced their opposition to Prime Minister Scott Morrison's gas-led recovery proposal.
Rosie Brady, 17, helped organise the Canberra event at Glebe Park which she said attracted about 1000 people calling for climate action.
"A lot of us were there because we're frightened," she said.
"Everyone at the event was passionate about the same thing ... it was empowering, uplifting and hopeful."
The student-led event began with a rally in Glebe Park followed by a march to Garema Place before the crowd returned to the park for final speeches.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced last week more than $58 million would go to gas projects, while an additional $600 was saved for a gas-fired power station in the Hunter region.
National director of Australian Parents for Climate Action Suzie Brown said the children were not alone in having had "a gutful of Scott Morrison's climate inaction".
Part of a 14,000-strong group, Canberra mums and dads will join the young activists in the hope of putting climate change on the agenda.
"We want anyone standing for election to know they must address this number one threat to our kids if they hope to represent us in parliament," Ms Brown said.
"Especially when solutions like affordable and clean renewable energy are readily available, and will benefit the economy."
More than 380 businesses signed up to the 'Not Business as Usual alliance' to support staff to attend the rallies.
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Ms Brady said inaction on the climate crisis in Australia was "frightening" for herself and her peers.
"We need to be moving towards renewable energy and renewable energy technology," she said.
"That needs to be done with urgency."
The Australian students followed a global movement of youth walking out of the classroom for climate action.
The first Australian protests occurred in 2018 and grew to crowds numbering in the tens of thousands a year later.
This was the first major protest since the coronavirus shutdown.
The 2020 gathering of around 70 Canberra students was far more subdued than the previous year's global day of action, which saw about 15,000 Canberrans attend a protest at Glebe Park.
