“We’re Aware. We’re Worried.” The Children Are Watching – And the LNP Can’t Handle The Truth

The LNP’s Fury Over a Children’s Ad Reveals Their Moral Bankruptcy – And Why We Must Fight for Our Kids’ Future

By Sue Barrett

On 4 April 2025, Aaron Smith (@Aaronsmith333) shared a powerful advert on X that has the Liberal National Party (LNP) in a state of uproar. The advert, supported by Climate 200, features children reciting the LNP’s own words back to them – a piercing moral mirror that forces the party to confront the real-world consequences of their reprobate policies. The LNP’s fury, as Smith points out, stems from their discomfort at hearing their own rhetoric echoed back: “The LNP don’t like their own words repeated back to them, which is why they’re infuriated by this advert.” This reaction lays bare the LNP’s moral disengagement, their short-termism, and the devastating legacy they’re crafting for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. With 38 community independent candidates and tens of thousands of volunteers fighting for our collective future in this 2025 federal election, it’s clear that the groundswell of concern – especially for our children – is impossible to ignore.

 

Children Are Not as Naïve as We Think

Children, particularly those aged 8 and older, are far more aware of the climate crisis than many adults might assume. They’re not the naïve, carefree innocents we often imagine them to be. Research backs this up: a 2013 survey of British 11- to 16-year-olds found that 74% were worried about the impact of climate change on their future (PMC, 2013). More recently, a study of Australians aged 7–24 years revealed that 96% considered climate change a serious problem, with 89% expressing worry about its effects (PMC, 2025). Even more striking, a survey of 1,477 young Australians aged 10–24 concluded with a clear message from the participants: “We are aware of climate change, and we are worried about climate change.” These statistics paint a sobering picture – children as young as 8 are not only aware of the crisis but are deeply anxious about the future they’ll inherit.

This awareness isn’t abstract. Children see the effects of climate change in their daily lives: the bushfires that blanket their cities in smoke, the heatwaves that cancel outdoor play, the news of species like the koala teetering on the brink of extinction. They hear their parents discuss rising sea levels and resource shortages, and they understand – perhaps better than some adults – that their future is in jeopardy. Yet, these children cannot vote. Their future lies entirely in our hands, a responsibility that weighs heavily on every parent, guardian, and voter. This is precisely why there’s a groundswell of support for community independent candidates in this federal election – 38, to be precise – fighting for our collective future. These candidates represent a rejection of the LNP’s short-sightedness, a demand for leadership that prioritises the long-term wellbeing of our children over short-term political gains.

A Moral Mirror the LNP Can’t Face

The advert’s power lies in its simplicity: children, the most innocent and vulnerable among us, repeat the LNP’s own statements. These are not distortions or exaggerations but direct quotes, a verbatim echo of the Coalition’s rhetoric. And yet, the LNP is furious. Why? Because these children are holding up a moral mirror, forcing the party to confront the consequences of their policies in a way they’ve long avoided.

Moral disengagement, a concept pioneered by psychologist Albert Bandura in his groundbreaking work, allows leaders to distance themselves from the consequences of their actions (Bandura, 1999). Bandura argued that individuals and groups use mechanisms like euphemistic language to sanitise their decisions or diffuse responsibility through collective decision-making, thereby bypassing self-sanction and violating personal standards (Wikipedia, Moral Disengagement).

The LNP has long justified its environmental inaction with promises of “technology, not taxes” and a leisurely stroll toward net zero by 2050, as outlined in their 2022 environmental policy. But when children repeat these words, the euphemisms and deflections collapse. The stark reality of what those policies mean – inaction on climate change, habitat destruction, and a warming planet – becomes undeniable.

 

 

The children in this advert aren’t just reciting lines – they’re embodying the future that will inherit the LNP’s choices. And that future looks bleak. As Karen, a songwriter whose lyrics were referenced in the context of this advert, poignantly stated: “I see the younger generations staring down this threat, and they’re standing on the edge of a precipice, confronting what’s coming with anger and defiance.” Her words resonate because they reflect the reality the LNP refuses to face. These children, aware and worried, are standing on that precipice, demanding accountability for a world they didn’t break but will have to fix.

Short-Termism: A Betrayal of Our Children

The LNP’s policies are steeped in short-termism, a pervasive issue in Australian politics that prioritises immediate economic gains over the systemic changes needed to secure a liveable planet. Their 2022 pledge to reduce emissions by 20% from 2005 levels sounds impressive – until you realise it’s a fraction of what’s needed to avert catastrophic climate change. The science is clear: without rapid, transformative action, global temperatures will soar, ecosystems will collapse, and future generations will face a nightmare of floods, fires, and food insecurity.

For parents sitting down to dinner with their children, this should be a wake-up call. Imagine looking into your child’s eyes and explaining why the world they’ll inherit is broken – why the koalas they love are extinct, why their coastal hometown is underwater, why they can’t play outside during heatwaves. The LNP’s policies are writing that future, one short-sighted decision at a time. Their focus on “technologies, not taxes” ignores the urgency of the crisis, betting on unproven solutions while the planet burns. This isn’t pragmatism; it’s a betrayal of our children and our children’s children.

The Ethics of Involving Children – and Why This Advert Gets It Right

The LNP’s defenders, like Ben Damiano (@bmdamiano), have criticised the advert for involving children, arguing, “Nah just don’t use kids.” But this critique misses the point. Children are already at the heart of this crisis – they’re the ones who will bear its brunt. As research from UNICEF highlights, climate change affects children’s health and development from conception, with infants and young children particularly vulnerable to heatwaves, malnutrition, and disease exacerbated by environmental degradation (UNICEF, The Climate-Changed Child). Far from exploiting children, this advert empowers them. It gives them a voice to hold adults accountable, to demand a future worth inheriting. It’s a rare example of ethical advocacy – using the innocence and awareness of children to cut through the LNP’s moral disengagement and force a reckoning.

Bridget McKenzie’s meltdown on Sky News, as Smith noted in a follow-up post, underscores just how deeply this advert has struck a nerve. The LNP’s outrage isn’t about the involvement of children – it’s about the mirror those children are holding up. They can’t handle the reflection of their own words, their own failures, their own complicity in a broken future.

A Call to Action: Hold the Mirror Up Now

The beauty of this advert is that it quenches moral disengagement before it can take root. By confronting the LNP in real time, it forces a dialogue about the consequences of their policies – consequences that are often buried under layers of political spin. But we can’t stop at sharing the advert. Voters, especially parents, need to take this mirror into their own hands. When you sit down to dinner with your children tonight, think about the world they’ll inherit if the LNP’s short-termism and corruption continue unchecked. Think about the nightmare of a planet pushed past its tipping points, where your children and their children face a future of scarcity and struggle.

The 38 community independent candidates in this 2025 federal election are a testament to the growing demand for change. They and their tens of thousands of volunteers in every state and territory in Australia are fighting for a future where our children’s voices – though they cannot yet vote – are heard through our actions.

The LNP may rage, but we must act.

Share the advert, as Aaron Smith urges, but more than that, hold the LNP accountable at every turn. Demand policies that prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term profits. Insist on leadership that looks into the eyes of our children and sees a future worth fighting for – not a resource to exploit.

 

 

The children in this advert are our conscience, our clarion call.

They’re reminding us that the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s time to listen to them, to stand with them, and to fight for a world where they can thrive – not just survive. For our children, for their children, and for generations to come.

You know what to do.

Onward we press

References:

Refer to: Not Shit Candidates list

· Bandura, A. (1999). Moral Disengagement in the Perpetration of Inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review.

· PMC (2013). Survey of British 11- to 16-year-olds on climate change concerns.

· PMC (2025). Study of Australians aged 7–24 on climate change awareness and worry.

· Liberal Party of Australia (2022). Environmental policy on emissions and wildlife conservation.

· UNICEF. The Climate-Changed Child. On the impact of climate change on children’s health and development.

 

 

This article was originally published on Sue Barrett

 

 

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