Coal and Gas Companies Are Spending Millions on School and Kids' Sports Programs

Coal, oil, and gas companies in Australia are spending tens of millions of dollars on programs for children. These programs include school lessons, sports club sponsorships, and partnerships with museums and universities. A new report from a climate group called Comms Declare says the scale of this spending is much larger than most people knew. The report raises questions about whether these programs are giving kids a fair and accurate picture of the fossil fuel industry and climate change.

Researchers found a network of more than 260 programs funded by companies like Santos, Shell, Chevron, and BHP. More than $50 million was spent on just six of those programs alone, which suggests the total across all programs is far higher. Some of these are simple branding deals, like a kids' surf lifesaving program in Western Australia called 'Woodside Nippers.' Others are longer partnerships, like a climate education program at the Queensland Museum that was once supported by Shell.

Many of the programs do real good in the communities where they operate. They help create jobs for young people, especially in regional towns, and they support community groups that struggle to find funding. State and federal governments also expect big, profitable mining companies to give back to the communities they work in. But the report says there is very little oversight — meaning no one is closely checking what these companies are actually teaching kids.

One of the big concerns in the report is about the quality of some teaching materials. Researchers found that some resources touched on climate change without clearly explaining that burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas is the main cause. Instead, some materials focused on how individuals — like kids — contribute to the problem through things like how they get to school. One teaching resource supported by Woodside guided students to think about their own 'carbon footprint' without mentioning that most carbon dioxide emissions come from burning fossil fuels.

Woodside said it does not write the content for the programs it helps to pay for. The company said the content is decided by the groups that deliver the programs. A 2021 company report said its science education project had reached more than 12,000 children in classrooms. It also said that 100 percent of student teachers who took part planned to use those resources in their future classrooms.

In Queensland, a program called Oresome Resources is supported by the Queensland Resources Council — a group that represents the mining industry. The program offers teachers ready-made lesson plans and recorded more than 43,500 users in one recent year. The council says all its materials are developed by educators and line up with the Australian school curriculum. However, some materials on the site appear not to have been updated since 2010.

Some of the Oresome Resources materials openly share 'the point of view of the minerals and energy sector.' For example, one presentation about energy sources describes solar power as 'not reliable' because the sun does not always shine, and says its 'cost of power is high.' The same presentation calls coal a 'source of cheap, reliable electricity' and highlights that it earns income from exports. Critics say this kind of framing gives students a one-sided view of energy options.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Janette Hewson defended the program. She said it has been a partnership between industry and the state government for over 20 years and has been funded by many different governments in that time. She also noted that students at schools partnered with the academy are three times more likely to go on to an apprenticeship in mining. Some politicians, however, say that is exactly the problem — that the programs are designed to steer young people toward the industry.

Greens Senator Steph Hodgins-May said she was troubled by the idea of mining companies shaping what children learn. She said companies spend money on these programs because they expect something in return — such as better public opinion of their industry, which is sometimes called 'social licence.' She called on the government to launch a Senate inquiry to look into the issue. 'I find it extraordinary that there has been no oversight over this for so long,' she said.

Independent Senator David Pocock agreed that more scrutiny was needed. He pointed out that tobacco companies are not allowed to go into schools and teach about health, and argued the same logic should apply to fossil fuel companies. 'These are companies that have a track record of trying to shape the public understanding of climate change,' he said. He also said schools should be properly funded by the government so they do not have to rely on industry money in the first place.