How Fossil Fuel Interests Are Undermining Climate Action in Australia

• Fossil fuel corporations are obstructing climate policy in Australia through extensive lobbying, political donations, and manipulated public support.
• Overcoming these barriers requires governments to resist the influence of groups profiting from the status quo to enable necessary emissions reductions.

Tactics and Key Actors

• Major Polluters: Companies including AGL, BHP, Rio Tinto, and Woodside are among the most prominent obstructors of climate policy.
• Political Influence: Woodside donated nearly $100,000 to major political parties during the last federal election.
• Trade Associations: Groups such as the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) and Australian Energy Producers spent $1.53 million on donations in the last election cycle. The MCA reportedly embedded a staff member within the opposition leader’s campaign headquarters.

Manufactured Public Support

• Corporations utilize PR firms to launch "astro-turfing" campaigns—fake grassroots organizations designed to mimic public support for fossil fuels.
  • Australians for Natural Gas: Created by the CEO of Tamboran Resources with assistance from the PR firm Freshwater Strategy.
  • Australians for Prosperity: Received almost its entire budget—$3.68 million—from Coal Australia.
  • Energy for Australians: Funded by Coal Australia with over $1 million to run anti-Labor campaign advertisements.

Broad-Based Opposition

• Climate obstruction extends beyond direct energy producers to other sectors:
  • The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) lobbied to weaken fuel efficiency standards in 2022.
  • The FCAI reportedly ran PR campaigns to delay Australia’s transition to electric vehicles by downplaying EV potential and spreading misleading statements about policy costs.
  • Peak business bodies, such as the Business Council of Australia, frequently lobby against specific measures like state-level gas connection bans and emphasize the costs of meeting emissions targets.