Greens move to ban fossil fuel advertising in Inner West Sydney

By WENDY BACON

Greens Councillors are pushing for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship in Inner West Sydney, following a success motion passed by the City of Sydney in August. 

The City of Sydney’s action followed an open letter from more than 200 health professionals and organisations, asking for Fossil Ad Bans because of the devastating health and climate effects of burning coal, oil and gas. 5000 deaths in Australia each year are attributable to fossil fuels. A similar campaign led to tobacco advertising being banned on health grounds in Australia in 1993.

Initiated by Comms Declare, a coalition for positive climate action from the communication, creative and advertising sector, the Fossil Ad Ban campaign aims to achieve bans on ads and sponsorships for fossil fuels at local, state and federal levels. Fossil Ad Ban organisers estimate the top five fossil fuel advertisers spent more than $230m on marketing in Australia in the 2020/21 financial year. 

In April, Yarra Council in Melbourne became the first council in Australia to move to restrict the promotion of fossil fuels on council-run property, followed by the Northern local government area of Moreland in July.

Greens Councillor Liz Atkins will move a motion this Tuesday asking the Inner West Council General Manager Peter Gainsford  to investigate “implementing restrictions on advertising for fossil fuels for any council controlled signage or property and a ban on accepting sponsorships from companies whose main business is the extraction or sale of coal, oil or gas”.

If successful, the motion would affect the massive 200 metre Glebe Island silos billboard. Comms Declare wrote a submission to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) calling for extra restrictions on the content that can be displayed on the billboard and raising concerns about the greenhouse gas emissions created by its lighting.

The submission stated “fossil fuel companies should not be allowed to use this space in an attempt to improve their social standing or brand images. Particulates in the air caused by burning fossil fuels are responsible for more deaths in Australia than asbestos or road accidents. As a particularly large billboard, there should be extra restrictions on the products it can be used to promote.”

The IPC has given continued development consent to the billboard so its operator oOh! Media currently pays Inner West Council $127,000 annually on the grounds that the funds must be used for a community purpose. 

Asked why she was moving the motion, Atkins told City Hub, “Coal, oil and gas are affecting our health, environment and climate. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels takes 8.7 million lives prematurely each year – more than tobacco. An estimated 150,000 people are dying due to climate change impacts every year. Fossil fuels are the primary cause of global warming, which is impacting Greater Sydney in the form of more intense and frequent heatwaves, storms, bushfires, floods and droughts. Inner West Council declared a climate emergency in May 2019, we were the first council to be 100% divested from investment in fossil fuels, and we recently became 100% powered by renewable electricity. Fossil fuel advertising on Council land is simply inconsistent with this. We don’t advertise tobacco and our sponsorship policy bans associations with products or services related to tobacco, pornography or firearms; yet we don’t explicitly ban fossil fuel advertising.

In supporting Atkins’ motion Comms Declare Founder Belinda Noble points out “Inner West Council’s Climate and Renewables Strategy says council should encourage locals to ‘live low-carbon lifestyles’ but while its Sponsorship Policy bans associations with tobacco, pornography and firearms, it allows fossil fuels”.

“Inner West has declared a climate emergency and divested from fossil fuels, but some of its policies are yet to be harmonised with those commitments. Inner westies overwhelmingly want climate action and can only benefit from having their streets free of marketing for coal, petrol and methane gas,” she said.

The City of Sydney fossil fuel ad ban, which was moved by Independent Deputy Mayor Jess Scully and seconded by Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore, was easily passed by the City of Sydney. Only two Liberal Councillors opposed it. City of Sydney’s sole Labor Councillor Linda Scott strongly supported it. At the time the motion was passed, she was quoted as saying that the ban was “the next phase of what is going to mark a very important war in the public relations battle to ensure that people understand the need to transition and are not inundated by messages that are either false or misleading or are continuing to promote products that damage our environment.” So with no Liberal councillors on the Inner West Council, Atkins motion looks likely to be successful and build on Council’s strong climate action record. 

Greens motion pushes Federal and State action to ban fossil fuel ads

Atkins’ motion also requests that the Inner West Council work with other NSW Councils to achieve a consistent approach to fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship and that the Mayor Darcy Byrne writes to the Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland to ask the Federal Government to pass national laws that restrict fossil fuel advertising and to the Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello requesting the NSW Government impose restrictions on fossil fuel advertising. 

Comms Declare’s campaign is gaining momentum in NSW. This week, Woollahra Greens Councillors Matthew Robertson and Nicola Grieve will move a motion to ban advertising fossil fuels, alcohol and gambling ads on Council bus shelters.

There is also action at a state level with Greens Upper House MP Sue Higginson announcing she will introduce a bill on September 22 to ban fossil fuel advertising on September 20. Comms Declare and Doctors for the Environment are supporting Higginson’s bill.  

In 2021, the fossil fuel industry spent $288 on marketing including on event sponsorship. Global oil and gas producers Shell and Woodside’s sponsorship of last week’s MidWinter Parliamentary Ball was controversial with some MPs attending an alternative event organised by Extinction Rebellion ACT and Stop Adani/350 ACT. Independent ACT Senator David Pocock spoke at the event telling the crowd that as the fossil fuel industry became increasingly concerned that its “time was up”, it was making “a huge push into sponsorship, essentially trying to buy social licence”.

Greens MP and spokesperson for the Environment Sarah Hanson-Young attended the ball wearing a dress with a large anti fossil fuel slogan that sabotaged any positive message generated by the sponsorship. Inside the venue, Fossil Fuel ad campaign posted stickers across the fossil fuel company logos. 

Wendy Bacon was previously the Professor of Journalism at UTS and has published several major reports on the Australian media’s coverage of climate change. She is not a member of any political party. She supported Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore in her campaign for election.