Fossil fuel advertising to get same treatment as tobacco and gambling in Greens policy plan
Fossil fuel producers would be treated the same as tobacco, asbestos and gambling advertisers under a suite of Greens proposals to limit the influence of oil and gas companies.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said banning greenwashing is necessary to set a “benchmark” about what is acceptable.
Under the proposal, commonly used environmental terms would be standardised and clear requirements would be provided for businesses making environmental claims.
The party also wants to create a system for independent verification and certification of these claims, and impose penalties for those who do not comply.
Another proposal would extend tobacco advertising and sponsorship bans to cover fossil fuel companies.
Other proposals would create a $275m fund to help clean energy companies replace oil, gas and coal producers as sponsors, and require emissions disclosure labels on car, plane and petrol station advertisements.
The Australian Press Council recently held that a series of articles published by News Corp last year to promote gas and warn of blackouts was not greenwashing, but was not good journalistic practice.
The stories were not unprecedented, as Australian fossil fuel producers have often gone to extreme lengths to secure friendly media coverage.