Story highlights Mooney said Trump has emboldened Australians who want a more restrictive immigration policy

The political climate led the band to write their first protest song, inspired by the women's march in January

Austin, Texas (CNN) A singer of Australian folk band All Our Exes Live in Texas says the rise of President Donald Trump has sparked an increase in activism among young people in Australia on issues such as immigration and women's wrights.

"The President of America is kind of like the leader of the world in so many ways," Georgia Mooney told CNN at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, last weekend. "That's such an incredibly influential position, and from the start, it was really alarming and shocking that he was even running."

Mooney said Trump's immigration policies have emboldened Australians who want more restrictions on immigration by giving them a voice.

"Australia really takes a lot from the states," she said. "We're really quite a similar Western culture."

"Australia's treatment of refugees is quite awful," Mooney added, referring in part to the detention of refugees off the coast of the country.