The protester who interrupted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's press conference on Tuesday has accused his government of "hypocrisy" for failing to address the anxiety felt by young people about the existential threat of a warming planet.
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Alexa Stuart, 21, interjected towards the end of Mr Albanese's hour-long televised media event announcing a $1 billion mental health election pledge at Headspace Ashfield on Monday to raise concerns about his government's record on climate - and the link with the youth mental health crisis.
"Mr Albanese, you say you care about young people, and yet since being elected your government has approved 33 new coal and gas projects," Ms Stuart shouted.
"You are condemning young people like me to a lifetime of climate disaster."
According to the Australia Institute's Coal Mine Tracker, the Albanese government has approved 10 new coal mines since it was elected in May 2022, with another 22 proposals for new or expanded coal mines awaiting approval.
The Prime Minister, standing in front of a green Medicare backdrop alongside Health Minister Mark Butler and Former Australian of the Year and psychiatrist Pat McGorry - the executive director of youth mental health charity Orygen - did not look amused.
He appeared irritated by Ms Stuart's interruption and attempted to plough ahead, but was unable to be heard over her shouting until security hauled her away.
Professor McGorry had just answered a journalist's question asking what was causing the youth mental health crisis, saying climate change was one of several "megatrends in society ... conspiring to make the lives and futures of young people much more challenging and pessimistic", along with student debt and housing affordability.
"We think that's probably the main cause," he said. "There are other contributory causes, but we need to do a lot more work on what is actually driving this crisis."
Mr Albanese dismissed media questions about the incident, saying: "No, it just encourages. But anyway. Security people should be allowed to do their job."
"I think that was so telling," Ms Stuart told this masthead.
"They don't want to listen to the community, to young people and I think that's really disappointing."
She said her action was intended "to draw people's attention to the hypocrisy of our government, who, on one hand, say they care about young people, and on the other hand, are condemning us to our future of dangerous climate change."
"For me, personally, I have been dedicating my life to demanding stronger climate action since I was 15," Ms Stuart said.
"I have written countless letters to my MPs. I've met with my MPs. I've protested in all the ways that I can think of, and I'm sick of asking.
"And so I think, it's 2025 and we're feeling the impact of the climate crisis, and yet the major parties don't want to talk about it."
It was the eighth such protest by climate activist group Rising Tide during this election campaign and followed a similar action at a hospital in Maitland last Thursday, which Mr Albanese described as "entirely inappropriate", accusing the protester of pretending to be a journalist.
While the Maitland hospital protester's message was recorded in the official transcript of the press conference released by the Labor campaign, Ms Stuart's interjection on Tuesday appeared in the transcript simply as "interruption".
The same protest group was behind the interruption of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's press conferences on day one of the campaign and has also targeted Shadow Treasurer Angus Tayor and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
Despite efforts to beef up security, Rising Tide has continued to coordinate protest action targeting election campaign press conferences and has no plans to stop.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has set up a contest between Labor and the Coalition, saying the government has a plan to replace ageing power stations with "more reliable, cleaner, cheaper renewable energy, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has promised to deliver more gas supplies for Australia and build nuclear power stations.
Mr Albanese told ABC Newcastle on Thursday his government was acting on the renewable energy transition while supporting new industries to replace jobs that will be lost in the coal mining industry.
Labor's campaign team has been contacted for comment.
