Protestors fighting for climate justice again took to Wollongong's streets to demand 'real action'.
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Like the March rally this year, hundreds of young people attended the Wollongong School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) rally on Friday.
And again, despite a large police presence, the activists marched through the heart of the CBD, chanting slogans such as 'coal don't dig it, leave it in the ground and start to get with it'.
The Wollongong contingent joined the thousands of students from cities and towns across Australia who left their classrooms to take part in the latest march for action on climate change.
Protestors sent a clear message to the Federal Government - that clinging to fossil fuels is simply not on in what needs to be a net-zero world.
At this SS4C rally, the protesters had "gas and the Morrison Government's lust for it in their crosshairs".
Earlier this month the Scott Morrison led-government confirmed it will spend up to $600m to build a new gas-fired power plant in New South Wales' Hunter Valley despite experts warning the fossil fuel investment makes little commercial sense.
Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts (WHSPA) year 11 student Lola Bell was "excited" to lead her fellow students in the rally.
"I'm continuing my fight for climate justice. I've been here every couple of months protesting and I won't stop until we see climate justice," the 16-year-old said.
"I think it is really positive that we are able to have another international strike after COVID.
"Greta [Thunberg] called it a couple of weeks ago and we will always come to the challenge. It is really great to see everyone back on the street again and all around the world, being able to come out."
Lola said she wasn't shocked by the Prime Minister's decision to build a new gas-fired power plant in the Hunter Valley.
"It is however disheartening. I wasn't expecting anything from [Scott Morrison] but this just shows how incompetent he is as a leader," she said.
"We won't stop until he changes his tune. Every single time we are called, we will continue to come out on the streets, no matter COVID, no matter restrictions, there will always be people fighting out on the streets.
"We really won't stop until we actually get real justice and actual real action as well.
"In our region here we need to stop mining in the Illawarra water catchment."
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