Climate change protesters who've disrupted major capital cities this week are thumbing their noses at working people, the federal government says.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Friday resumed his attack on activists protesting under the Extinction Rebellion banner, branding them "radicals" and "outliers".
"They do their cause more harm than good," he told the Nine Network on Friday.
"They are, frankly, just thumbing their nose at Australians who want to two to work, run their businesses, [and] don't want to be disrupted by these people."
Extinction Rebellion has been leading a week-long series of protests in major cities to raise awareness about climate change as part of a campaign to force Australian governments to declare a "climate emergency'.
Some of their activities, which has included locking themselves to concrete objects and fences and glueing themselves to roads, have been criticised for disrupting commuters and businesses and for taking up police time.
Mr Dutton again raised the prospect of charging protesters acting without permits for the cost of the police response.
"When you are acting outside of the law, which these people are doing, you are diverting valuable police resources. I think there should be a price to pay for that," he said.
