The company belonging to Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, is being investigated for allegedly misleading the public about the cleanliness of methane gas.
Ads for Hancock Prospecting’s recruitment webpage futureaustralianjobs.com ran in the digital edition of the Australian newspaper in October last year.
They claimed that “Our clean gas keeps the lights, and factories, hospitals, and shops open from Tokyo to Toowoomba.” (see image below).
Climate Communications group, Comms Declare, lodged a complaint about the ad, claiming it breached the Environmental Claims Code for being misleading and unsubstantiated. Ad Standards has confirmed its Community Panel is investigating.
Belinda Noble, founder of Comms Declare said, “From when it’s extracted, transported and burned, gas is harmful to the environment and our health,. To claim a flammable, toxic and polluting fossil fuel is ‘clean’, fails the pub test and should not be allowed under the law.”
If the complaint is upheld, Hancock Prospecting may alter or discontinue the ad, but Ad Standards cannot issue financial penalties.
