
More than 60 school programs across Australia are sponsored by fossil fuel companies. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
The ACT Legislative Assembly has now agreed to a motion from Greens MLA Laura Nuttall to get fossil fuels out of Canberra’s schools.
Coal, oil and gas companies are actively using school programs and sponsorships as marketing tools to increase their community acceptability, all while their products damage our health and environment.
In fact, according to climate communications charity, Comms Declare, more than 60 school programs across Australia are sponsored by fossil fuel companies.
Therefore, the agreement by the Assembly to ban this intrusion from fossil fuel companies in ACT public schools is a significant win for the independence of our education system. It is an important moment in ensuring fossil fuel companies are unable to use these spaces to promote their harmful products.
This is excellent news. However, it is only the first step when it comes to reducing the influence of the fossil fuel industry in Canberra.
Canberrans are proud we are leaders when it comes to climate action. We have transitioned to 100 per cent renewable energy, have implemented a phasing out of gas across the city, and are leading Australia when it comes to the take-up of electric vehicles. Yet, we still face a significant influence of fossil fuels in our community.
We at the Conservation Council, for example, get frequent complaints that every visitor who arrives in the ACT is bombarded with advertisements in Canberra Airport for Woodside – ads that many believe are carefully placed to influence politicians, lobbyists and public servants entering our city.
Many in our community are also unlikely to know the ACT Government still allows fossil fuel sponsorships – whether in government-led major events or small community workshops led by agencies such as the Suburban Land Agency.
When fossil fuel companies run such advertisements or sponsor such events, they do not do so out of the goodness of their hearts. Instead, it is a PR exercise for them to try and salvage their image in face of their actions to create a climate crisis. In doing so they are polluting our city with one-sided information about climate change and ignoring the benefits of moving to renewable energy sources.
We as a city should not stand for this. We have committed to getting rid of the pollution of fossil fuels and now we need to take the next step – by saying fossil fuel companies are not welcome to pollute our airways, billboards and community events.
Our requests are very simple. Fossil fuel advertising is already banned on our trams and, if the Legislative Assembly motion is followed through, will soon be banned in our schools. We are calling for this to happen across government.
Government agencies such as the Suburban Land Agency, Events ACT and the City Renewal Authority have policies about the types of events they support. While these policies differ, most already ban events that promote gambling or those that may be construed as sexually, racially or otherwise discriminatory. All we are asking is that they ban support for activities that promote fossil fuel products or companies.
After that, the next step should be to ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship of events in the ACT in its entirety. We understand there are some concerns around this, including that a ban would mean other states’ sports teams sponsored by fossil fuel companies would not be able to come to Canberra.
We understand this. But surely legislation could be developed that creates a carve-out for this, while at the same time sending a strong message that polluting industries are not welcome in the ACT.
It’s not like we would be acting alone. Eighteen Australian councils, including the City of Sydney, have voted for or enacted some restrictions on fossil fuel advertising and/or sponsorships. More than 40 jurisdictions globally have restricted fossil fuel and high emissions advertising including France, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Toronto. This has reduced the influence of these industries and created safer, happier and healthier communities.
The ACT has often been a first mover when it comes to climate change. Restricting fossil fuel advertising and sponsorships would once again make us such a leader.
Limiting fossil fuel ads would send a strong market and cultural signal and is a small but essential part of transitioning to a clean energy economy. This is an easy, inexpensive way to turn climate pledges into concrete action. While the move to ban sponsorship in Canberra’s schools is very welcome, there is so much more we can do.
Dr Simon Copland is a researcher at the Australian National University and executive director at the ACT Conservation Council.