Coal and gas giants spend tens of millions on school and kids' sport programs

A report has identified more than 260 mining-backed programs in children's settings, saying taken together it shows a network of influence on young people. (Glencore/Comms Direct) A new report has identified a network of more than 260 coal, oil and gas-sponsored programs in childhood settings. Comms Direct says it paints a picture of an "extensive industry presence" in schools and children's sport, including direct teaching by mining companies and partners in some instances. Greens and independent senators say questions over whether more transparency and guardrails for industry-sponsored education should be examined through a senate inquiry. Link copiedShareShare articleCoal, oil and gas companies are spending tens of millions of dollars on programs in childhood settings, with a new report revealing the scale of investments by the resources industry to lift its brand and influence. A network of more than 260 teaching programs, children's sport club sponsorships, partnerships with educational institutions and more has been funded by Santos, Shell, Chevron, BHP and other mining companies, climate advocacy group Comms Declare has identified. Researchers found more than $50 million had been spent by mining companies in just six of those programs, suggesting far more is being spent by the industry across school and youth institutions. While some are branding deals, such as Woodside Nippers in WA, others are years-long partnerships, like Queensland Museum's climate education program supported by Shell QGC, multi-day camps or mining site tours, or teaching training courses. Many of those programs have helped to drive jobs for young people, particularly in regional areas, and prop up community organisations struggling for funding. Governments also expect the highly profitable sector to reinvest in the communities that it operates. But the report says there are no dedicated oversight mechanisms for industry partnerships in childhood settings, few disclosure requirements for sponsorship arrangements involving schools and in some cases, little governance over how industries engage with children under those partnerships. "A child may recognise that a television commercial is trying to sell them something. They are far less likely to view information provided by a teacher, museum educator, sporting coach or educational institution through the same lens," researchers said. "Viewed individually, many of these programs may appear limited in scope. Viewed collectively, they reveal an extensive industry presence across the environments in which children learn, play and grow." Comms Direct identified a number of partnerships between industry and schools, many of which are state-supported. (Comms Direct) The report also raises questions over the quality of education available through some of the teaching resources offered to classrooms. "Some educational programs and materials reviewed for this report presented climate impacts while giving limited attention to the role of fossil fuel production in driving those impacts," researchers said. "In several cases, climate change was framed primarily through adaptation, technological responses or individual behaviour." Comms Declare pointed to Woodside-supported teaching materials as one example. The researchers cite a Woodside Australian Science Project (WASP) resource that says "while we often think that greenhouse gas emissions are only from industrial activities, we all contribute to the global carbon footprint", which then guides children "at length" to consider their contribution to global warming by how they get to school, without mentioning that CO2 emissions are primarily driven by the use of coal, oil and gas. A 2021 corporate report by Woodside said its WASP project had reached 12,300 children "in-classroom" and provided professional development to thousands of teachers, and said of the early-career educators it had engaged, "100 per cent of pre-service teachers intend to use WASP resources in their classroom". Woodside told the ABC it did not provide content for the education programs it helps to fund, and the specific content was a matter for the funding recipients that delivered those programs. Comms Direct says many of the programs it identified provided valuable services to in-need communities. (Santos/Comms Direct) In Queensland, a program called Oresome Resources, supported by the Queensland Resources Council, offers to "take the pressure off lesson planning" with material provided through its education arm, the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy. The council says Oresome Resources recorded more than 43,500 users this financial year, and all its workshops align with the Australian curriculum and are developed by educators with a science education background, and that the site's lessons are regularly reviewed and updated. Some of the materials, however, appear not to have been updated since 2010. The site acknowledges some materials provide

Coal and gas giants spend tens of millions on school and kids' sport programs

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