🤷 What happened: Fossil fuel companies are spending millions on more than 260 education programs, partnerships and sponsorships for Australian school children at every year level, with a new report pointing towards a goal of controlling the narrative around climate change and buying social licence in the community.
📝 New info: The practice is the focus of a report released on Monday from climate advocacy group Comms Declare, that found companies like BHP, Glencore, Chevron, Woodside and Shell are spending millions on the creation and sponsorship of education programs in Australia.
This spending comes in many different forms:
Producing science education (STEM) material for teachers
Sponsoring school sporting programs and scholarships
Funding trips to fossil fuel production facilities such as mine sites and gas plants
🛢️What does it look like? Education materials vary, by age group being targeted.
In 2019, primary school kids in Western Australia were taught how to dig for oil using a vegemite sandwich.
The “hands-on fun” learning activity was a part of a school science program sponsored by oil and gas giant Woodside.
Doctor Lucy Hopkins from the University of Canberra told the National Account the activity, like many others brought to school children by our biggest polluters, gave no explanation of what oil extraction does to the environment or its impact on climate change.
Hopkins said school excursions like this site tour from BHP or work experience at Woodside’s Karratha Gas Plant are designed to capture the next generation of workers.
“When they're sponsoring school materials and other things, and particularly when they're entering those trusted institutional spaces as educators through incursions and excursions and sponsorship of curriculum materials, children are socialised into taking for granted the ongoing role of fossil fuels in their lives," she said.
🤨 Possible Ban? In the ACT, fossil fuels now sit among the list of prohibited corporate sponsorships, which also includes the adult industry, alcohol products, anything illegal, tobacco, vapes, weapons and gambling.
🤝 Under the influence: ACT Senator David Pocock told the National Account fossil fuel companies have been “in the business of buying social licence” for many decades.
“We know that they try to influence people's understanding of issues and the role of fossil fuels in the past, in the present, and into the future,” he said.
😬 Nothing new: Pocock said corporate influence on the Australian school system is nothing new.
“It's not like we don't have an example from history that we should have learned from”, said Pocock.
“The [Commonwealth Bank] Dollarmites program was ended because regulators and several state governments concluded that a bank-run school banking program functioned primarily as customer acquisition and marketing rather than genuine financial education.”
🧑💼 Corporate capture: Pocock believes the high level of influence of the fossil fuel industry within major political parties has resulted in little, if any action.
“They [politicians] get donations, they lobby hard,” he said. “There's a revolving door between ministers and staff who go to these companies after they finish in politics. And it's kind of just accepted as this is the way things are”
🧑🏫 Time to learn: Doctor Hopkins, along with Comms Declare and Senator Pocock, is asking for a Senate inquiry.
“I think we should be looking broadly”, said Pocock. “How do we not learn from history as a country? ASIC looked into this, state and territory governments looked into it. And they said, ‘no, this is not to happen’. Why don't we learn from that as a country? We can’t just keep repeating the same mistakes.”