Youth climate movement gains momentum after ACT legislative win

2 August 2026: The ACT Government have just become the first government in Australia to commit to a Duty of Care to young people and future generations to protect their health and wellbeing in the face of the climate crisis. After releasing their nine-year climate strategy late last month, the inclusion of a Duty of Care principle in the Strategy signifies a significant shift in the ACT government’s approach to policy making and acknowledgment of its responsibility to ensure the long-term safety of future generations.

Inclusion of a Duty of Care principle in policy making comes as the result of years of sustained activism from young people involved in the Duty of Care campaign who have sought to use the legal system as a means to hold decision makers to account and enshrine intergenerational equity into Australian law. Hannah Vardy, co-founder of the Duty of Care campaign, welcomed the move by ACT legislators, saying: “The ACT has demonstrated that governments can embed responsibility to future generations into the way they make decisions. We look forward to seeing this replicated across other jurisdictions.”

Hannah spoke recently at the launch of a new, pictorial book produced by the New Possibilities Collective at the Australian Museum, hosted by Western Sydney University. Entitled Future Right Now, the book documents key voices, perspectives and campaign strategies of the Australian youth climate movement since its inception in 2019, when the School Strike 4 Climate movement mobilised an estimated 300,000 people around the country. As one of 30 young contributors in the book, Hannah writes a chapter which outlines the journey of the Duty of Care campaign from the courtroom to the halls of Parliament, the importance of genuine youth participation in these spaces, and the case for long term decision making on issues defining their futures.

Associate Professor Michelle Catanzaro who led the creation of the book stated, “this is so much more than your average book, not only does it bring academic knowledge together with young people’s lived experience, but it also amplifies young people’s political knowledge, expression and creativity”. The book is visually striking and includes photographs of the climate movement that have been captured since 2019, and illustrations made by children and young people”.

Also featured in Future Right Now is Professor Philipa Collin from Western Sydney University who has studied young people’s civic and political participation for over two decades. She views campaigns such as the Duty of Care campaign, School Strike 4 Climate movement and the more recent Make it 16 campaign to lower the voting age to sixteen, as evidence that young Australians are politically vocal and active – and want more of a say in Australian democracy, not in the future but right now. As she says, "For more than two decades we've seen Australian young people increasingly leading and participating in efforts to tackle climate change. In doing so they are enriching - and improving our democracy. It's now time for those in power, and governments - in Australia and around the world - to step up to the mark."

For Hannah, the climate movement across the world has shifted from the streets to the courtrooms, driven by COVID and protest restrictions across the world. Youth-led campaigns, like the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, have successfully ensured that governments now have international legal responsibilities to address climate harm, which will shape policy and advocacy efforts for years to come. Whilst progress may seem slow, it is the voices of youth, fighting for the world they will inherit, that speak loudest to demand a safer future, right now.

To arrange interviews with Hannah Vardy, Associate Professor Michelle Catanzaro, Professor Philippa Collin or any of the 30 young authors of Future Right Now email Claire Absolum, Communications Lead at Young and Resilient Research Centre, Western Sydney University at c.absolum@westernsydney.edu.au.