Queensland Museum’s sponsorship deal with gas producer Shell QGC for its Future Makers children’s education program has come under scrutiny, with new legal advice suggesting the deal may breach Queensland legislation.
The advice, prepared by the Environmental Defenders Office and commissioned by Comms Declare, finds that fossil fuel sponsorship is fundamentally incompatible with the Museum’s legislated duty to protect Queensland’s natural heritage. It highlights that greenhouse gas emissions from Shell’s current and planned gas operations are directly driving climate change, damaging Queensland’s natural environment and threatening Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage through sea level rise.
The Queensland Museum Act states that “leadership and excellence should be provided in the preservation, research and communication of Queensland’s cultural and natural heritage.” According to the legal advice, Shell’s role in fuelling climate impacts places the partnership in direct conflict with that principle.
Comms Declare Founder Belinda Noble said the arrangement undermines the Museum’s purpose: “Queenslanders clearly want their museums and arts institutions to be places where Queensland’s unique nature and heritage are celebrated and protected. Instead, at Queensland Museum, one of the state’s leading taxpayer-funded arts institutions is being used to launder the reputation of one of the world’s largest climate polluters.”
Comms Declare argues that fossil fuel companies are using school and cultural programs to push carefully crafted marketing strategies designed to normalise polluting industries in the eyes of the next generation. Partnerships like Shell’s sponsorship of the Chinchilla Fossil Finders program may appear to support science education, but in practice risk creating a misleadingly positive association between climate polluters and environmental care.
The organisation has also raised concerns about the Museum’s partnership with BHP for its archival collection. These forms of branding, particularly when endorsed by trusted public institutions, subtly shape public perception in ways that undermine the urgent need for climate action.
The national science museum Questacon recently dropped two fossil fuel sponsors. The ACT government has also voted to stop fossil fuel sponsorships in its schools.
The legal advice was raised in Queensland Parliament, with Arts Minister Langbroek stating that he will consider this advice before formally advising the Parliament of his position.
The matter follows a Question on Notice lodged on 28 August 2025, which asks the Minister to also detail how much sponsorship funding Queensland’s cultural institutions receive from fossil fuel companies; whether public complaints have been received about the Shell deal; and whether the partnership aligns with the Museum’s duty to protect Queensland’s natural heritage.
Comms Declare continues to urge the Queensland Government to ensure that state cultural institutions remain free from fossil fuel sponsorship.