Statement begins

Today is the day. The protests that you have worked so hard to build are finally coming.

I have been so impressed by the strength and resilience of this country's young people. While the SDP has done everything they can to destroy these protests -- with one hand making false pleas for calm, with the other planning to arrest you -- the momentum has remained on your side. The protests are only growing, and it is fantastic to see.

To everyone in the ACT, preparing to disrupt the President's Speech, I wish you every success. Depending on how fast the government's thugs come down on the Newcastle Port Blockade, I may be there with you.

But if the government blinks, as I think they might, and the blockade goes through without police disruption, then sadly I will not be able to make it.

I will be attending this blockade, and I will not be leaving until everyone else has. I promised to be the first arrested if arrests take place, and I will keep that promise. I will not abandon the protesters unless I am physically dragged away in handcuffs, I promise you that.

Despite the statements from the government promising retribution and arrests, the young people of Australia understand that there is no choice but to fight. The Port of Newcastle is one of the largest coal ports in the world, and we must seriously taper these exports if we are to stem climate change. And stemming climate change is the only way to ensure our kids have a future.

The CLP insist that this blockade can't go ahead because we all need to bend over backwards and do whatever coal workers want. I reject this. I reject it wholeheartedly.

For one, the Greens and Socialist governments invested untold amounts of money into retraining programs. These programs have a long history, going back even further to previous SDP governments. The coal workers who remain in the industry are an absolute tiny slice of the Australian population, and they are some of the highest paid workers in Australia.

To suggest that we need to be sensitive of their concerns, of people who have stubbornly remained in an industry they have been given every opportunity to leave -- an industry that, for years, the government has been saying will have to wind up -- is ludicrous.

There is a much larger, much more disadvantaged section of our society. This section, unlike coal workers, has been systemically ignored by recent governments. They are, of course, our youth.

These are the people we need to be listening to. They are the next generation, and they will inherit the consequences of any policy we enact today. They have not been given a convenient off-ramp by successive governments, they do not have a well-funded lobbying group disguised as a political party dictating their interests in Parliament. And they certainly do not have the luxury of this lobbying group being in coalition with the SDP and knee-capping their progressive policies.

For those reasons, I will see you at the blockade. Together, we are unbeatable.

Quotes attributable to TheSensibleCentre

"The bravery and heroism of these protesters is stunning. The government wire tapped them, planned to arrest them, and yet they are still fighting. They will not be intimidated by these tactics."

"The PM's right about one thing -- this is an important day for our country. This is the day when youth step up and assert their right to help determine the policy of Australia."

"The future's on the line. This isn't the time to back down."