Political leaders are wagging their fingers at everyday Australians taking to the streets because of the climate emergency. Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says the concerned citizens aren’t 'winning many friends' and Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is fast-tracking laws aimed at sending ­them to jail.

We support the disruptions created by the Extinction Rebellion movement because we feel accountable to our children to push you and other politicians for urgent action on the climate emergency. We’re not there to 'win friends'. 300,000 people on the streets of Australia asked nicely for urgent action on the climate emergency, but wasn't enough to convince your political leaders to lead an urgent shift to safe sources of energy for electricity and transport.

Government policies are not good enough. If you were taking the climate crisis seriously, you would be leading an urgent transition to clean fuels and renewable jobs, not building more roads and destroying old-growth forests which are one of our best ways to draw down carbon.

This is why a major disruption is necessary. We've tried everything else, and we are desperate. If we fail to end our carbon emissions, we will be hitting tipping points that the scientists are telling us are incompatible with human civilisation as we know it.

Making friends is nice, but when your friends (and I'd hope you'd consider your constituents your friends) are crying out for help on a life or death matter, you don't tell them off for disrupting you - you help them, and you do it with the urgency and resources required. 

Please acknowledge that this is a crisis threatening our survival and way of life and take the actions required to address it. For our kids and for all the other kids who are holding you accountable. 

Please, if you understand that Extinction Rebellion and other concerned citizens are just trying to stop the climate crisis, sign and share this petition.