The Australian reports, The primary backer of the student walkout called School Strike 4 Climate Action is the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, a non-profit company registered as a charity with an all-adult board and 68 adult staff.
The AYCC was set up a decade ago to mobilise young people on climate action by Anna Rose, an adult activist and the wife of former GetUp national director and Greens candidate Simon Sheikh.
Mr Sheikh was listed in the AYCC’s 2013 constitution as one of its 16 full members, along with Ms Rose, with voting rights to elect the group’s board.
The adult-controlled AYCC has extensive links to other climate action and anti-Adani groups with large campaign budgets, including the Sunrise Project, GetUp and Greenpeace.
The AYCC has received donations and grants totalling $2.8 million according to its last submitted financial report.
The group runs a high school program called Switched on Schools, with student workshops and summits.
The contact number for inquiries about the strike by “children aged 5-18” is the AYCC.
Another key group helping with organisation is the recently formed Climate Leaders, which says it represents under-18s who cannot vote or run for public office.
Climate Leaders supports and endorses political candidates such as Warringah independent Zali Steggall.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says adult climate activists are using children as pawns for their own purposes by encouraging them to leave school to attend today’s “strike”.
He told Sky News, “I think that most Australians would take a very cynical view of professional adult activists using and abusing kids for this purpose, for their purpose during school time. During school time kids should be at school. They should not be used as pawns by professional adult activists as part of a cynical political strategy.”
Conservative Party leader Cory Bernardi has told Paul Murray Live on Sky News the climate alarmists keep on trotting out the same old nonsense and false predictions.
