Sydney high school students calling for emergency action on climate change have travelled to Canberra to confront the Prime Minister after he criticised them for skipping school to stage national strikes.

Students from Scott Morrison’s south Sydney electorate of Cook headed to Parliament House on Wednesday to meet the Liberal leader.

Mr Morrison said he would sit down with the students.

“I’m always happy to listen. I respect everybody’s views,” he said.

“We don’t always have to agree on everything, you know, but we do have to respect each other and we do have to take each other’s views seriously.

“Whether that’s talking about climate, or whether that’s talking about energy, or whether that’s talking about the other difficult issues we’re dealing with in the parliament this week, you’ve got to respect everybody’s views, you can’t run their views down because they have them.”

But the students did not get such a warm welcome from all federal politicians. Liberal-Nationals senator James McGrath had this view:

Just because these selfish gits don't have jobs doesn't give them a right to deny jobs for Queenslanders.

Parliament is for all Australians. pic.twitter.com/wNbcdGBfUq

— Senator James McGrath (@SenatorMcGrath) December 5, 2018

The striking students want federal politicians to stop the Adani coal mine and move Australia from fossil fuels to 100 per cent renewable energy.

“When Scott Morrison refuses to implement climate policy that keeps fossil fuels in the ground and transition to 100 per cent renewable energy, he isn’t representing us, our community, or the vast majority of Australians who want urgent climate action,” 15-year-old Veronica Hester said.

Security removed the students from Parliament early on Wednesday afternoon.

-with AAP