Police threatened to arrest the girl and her father during the protest outside Kirribilli House. Photo / AAP / Steven Saphore / news.com.au
Police threatened to arrest the girl and her father during the protest outside Kirribilli House. Photo / AAP / Steven Saphore / news.com.au
A police officer has been filmed telling a young girl and her father they could be arrested and "force may be used" if they fail to move their climate protest from outside Scott Morrison's place.
The pair were protesting outside Kirribilli House on Sydney's lower north shore on Thursday whenthe exchange was filmed by reporter and journalism student, River McCrossen.
The officer warns them they need to move off a temporarily closed road, saying: "I warn you should you fail to comply with my direction you may be arrested, force may be used. Do you understand Issey?"
The young girl then replies "yes" and moves on with her father while fighting back tears and defiantly holding her climate sign that reads: "Look at what you've left us, watch us fight it, watch us win".
Greens MP David Shoebridge was arrested at the same rally, where hundreds expressed their anger at the Prime Minister being on holidays while Australia is in the grips of a bushfire crisis.
Mr Shoebridge took to Twitter to share the court attendance notice he was given.
"Better diarise this. Arrested and charged with failure to comply with a move-on direction at the #ClimateEmergency rally outside Kirribilli House. Interesting fact is that I was trying to comply! Welcome to NSW policing Coalition-style," he wrote.
It comes after an anonymous group wrote an open letter to Mr Morrison's mum asking her to convince him to tackle the climate crisis.
Better diarise this. Arrested and charged with failure to comply with a move on direction at the #ClimateEmergency rally outside Kirribilli House. Interesting fact is that I was trying to comply! Welcome to NSW policing coalition-style. pic.twitter.com/FloWNlkpQd
The group of Sydney creatives created a video and launched a change.org petition asking Marion Morrison to talk to her son on behalf of the Australian people to get him to take urgent action for the climate.
"Because if he won't listen to anyone else, maybe she'll have more luck," the group says.
It's unclear who is behind the video and why they've chosen to stay anonymous.
"The climate is in crisis and despite weeks of breathing toxic air from uncontrolled bushfires across Australia, the government is still ignoring the issue," it writes in its petition.
"There have been mass protests, letters from scientists and fire and rescue services, and other public figures, but Scott Morrison seems to have his fingers in his ears."
The Prime Minister Office has confirmed he is on leave for a few days but is receiving regular updates on the White Island volcano tragedy and the bushfires.
While the group still want to stay anonymous, a member called Pia told news.com.au they were a group of creative people who work across advertising, marketing and media.
"A few of us are mums," she said.
"I personally have an 11-month-old and saw that inhaling the smoke was the equivalent of smoking 34 cigarettes and that's what prompted it."
She said they created the video and petition as a new way of approaching the issue because Mr Morrison didn't seem to be listening.
"The fact he's remained silent through all of this is not what people want," she said.
However, the Prime Minister has visited a number of bushfires zones in recent weeks and made clear he believes climate change has contributed to the bushfire crisis.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been condemned for taking a holiday while bushfires rage across the country. Photo / AP
Pia said: "The hope is to get as many signatures as possible. I think it's a different way (to approach him) and what we've seen so far is everyone talking to him quite directly about the impacts of what's going on and it all seems to be falling on deaf ears.
"While I don't think it's going to work over other forms of conversation, alongside other conversations it will help."
Pia said the aim was to help the people of Australia rather than target Mrs Morrison.
"I think we were very careful in the tone of what we've created," she said.
"It's not bullying, it's not meant to be mean or distasteful in anyway.
"What it is is a plea for help and to someone has the ability to have an impact on him."
PROTESTERS VOW TO STAY
Protesters earlier declared they would stay at Mr Morrison's house until he got back from his holiday.
The Prime Minister has been condemned for taking a holiday while bushfires rage across the country, with the hashtags #WhereTheBloodyHellAreYou and #FireMorrison trending on Twitter.
Some group shots showing the size of the crowd. It’s 30 degrees, smoky and incredibly humid, but a speaker has just proposed that everyone stay here until Scott Morrison gets back. Huge cheers. pic.twitter.com/jKMUzOIZLP
Rumours began circulating earlier this week that Mr Morrison was on holiday in Hawaii while devastating bushfires continue, but the Prime Minister's office has refused to reveal where he is and when he'll be back.
— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@StrikeClimate) December 18, 2019
"The tent city isn't moving until he shows up to confront the climate crisis!" the group said on its information sheet.
The School Strike 4 Climate group also joined the protest with students taking time off school.
Yesterday, model Lara Bingle lashed out at the Prime Minister on Twitter, using the famous "Where the bloody hell are you?" slogan she made famous when Mr Morrison was the boss of Tourism Australia in 2006.
Network 10 political editor Peter van Onselen told ABC Mr Morrison was entitled to have a holiday but the secrecy around the trip suggested the PM knew it was a "bad look" and had "slinked away".
"It's not a crime to have a holiday but a cover-up of doing so makes it look shady," van Onselen said.
Footage of Mr Morrison's appearance on ABC panel show Q&A in April 2010 was also unearthed and showed him criticising former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon for going to dinner while the devastating Black Saturday bushfires were raging.
"She's clearly made a bad judgment call," Mr Morrison told the audience on Q&A.
"That happens to people from time to time but this was a very serious issue and I think there are very serious concerns in the community about exercising judgment.
"It's incumbent on all of us in public life to make decisions following that in the best interests of the ongoing nature of the program."
