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Climate decision reveals Walkley’s dilemma

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Out of the ruins of the World Wars, two fledgling industries sprouted, grew and took over the world: petroleum and public relations. In Australia, there are few better examples of this than Ampol’s founder, Sir William Gaston Walkley and his head of PR, Terry Southwell-Keely. Together they established the public affairs playbook that big oil […]
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Letter to Walkley Awards

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TO: CEO, The Walkley Foundation I am writing as the founder of Comms Declare, a group of marcomms professionals that advocates for climate action. We are concerned that the Walkleys has Ampol as a sponsor. This association gives reputational cover to Australia’s largest transport fuel provider – a main driver of climate change. Despite talking […]
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Submission on Green Claims Code

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Comms Declare has made an argument for stronger environmental guidelines to stamp out misleading green claims by advertisers. A review of the Environmental Green Claims Code is being held by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) which receives complaints about advertising. It has no legal power but rather ‘complements Australia’s consumer protection laws’. It […]
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Republic of Everyone – Climate Comms Champion 2022

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We’re proud to announce that Republic of Everyone is Australia’s most climate-friendly agency. The pioneering sustainability and social impact creative agency is our Climate Comms Champion for 2022, following a survey that was sent to more than 100 Australian agencies. Ben Peacock, Founder and Global Director of the agency said, “It’s always been frustrating to […]
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Walkley Awards fuelled by petroleum

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How deep do the fossil fuel funds flow? Straight to the heart of Australia’s most prestigious journalism awards. The Walkley Awards were actually started by Ampol and named after its boss. Here’s a photo from the inaugural awards in 1956 featuring the then Managing Director of Ampol, William Gaston Walkley. In the fifties not much was known about […]
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Submission to Adelaide’s Draft Climate Action Plan 2022-2025

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I am writing as the founder of Comms Declare, an industry group representing more than 360 communications professionals and advertising agencies that support climate action.  We are currently running the Fossil Ad Ban campaign to stop or restrict promotions for coal, oil and gas in light of their health and climate impacts. The campaign is […]
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Submission to National EV Strategy

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INTRODUCTIONTo reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions, Australians must embrace a wide range ofnew, sustainable behaviours.This is particularly the case in the area of private transport where the use of medium andlarge vehicles is entrenched in our social fabric and reinforced by aggressive marketing,advertising and sponsorship campaigns by industry.Comms Declare is an organisation of more […]
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Ad regulator backs ‘carbon neutral’ petrol

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Ad Standards has dismissed a complaint from Comms Declare about a social media post on Ampol’s ‘carbon neutral’ fuel. The Facebook post shows an image of treetops with the words “Ampol Carbon Neutral” and claims Ampol can offset all the greenhouse gas emissions from the production and use of petrol and diesel. Through the Environmental […]
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STEM education – fossil fuel’s trojan horse

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Fossil fuel companies use STEM education in schools and universities as a way to build credibility and social licence, and recruit future staff, while glossing over their role in global warming. Australian Earth Science Education holds incursions with Woodside Petroleum, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies. The partnership with Woodside Australian Science Project (WASP) can be […]
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Letter to Federal Press Gallery re Midwinter Ball

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Dear Mr Crowe and Mr Massola I am writing on behalf of Comms Declare, a group of communications professionals promoting climate action. We are asking you to please drop Woodside, Shell, Nexus APAC and Hawker Britton as  sponsors of the Midwinter Ball and refuse any future sponsorships from fossil fuel companies, or their lobbyists. Air […]
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