Revelations resulting from FOI actions on the Department of Climate Change show just which groups where selected to benefit financially from the Australian Government’s promotion of the CPRS:
- The Climate Change and Environment departments who conducted “multiple and various research projects” during 2009.
- “early mover” countries, such as Britain, where the Conservatives, as well as Labour, have strong climate change policies.
- Australia’s alternative energy sector which could grow 30-fold by 2050.
- advertising and public relations firms with $60m to sell its proposals and influence public opinion.
- “media partnership” targeting primetime morning television shows such as Channel 7′s Sunrise to run a regular “CPRS 101″ slot where viewers would not have been aware of this government sponsorship.
- University in each region hosting media-friendly community events with a cost “TBA”, and third party advocates and champions to “add gravitas” to efforts at community education.
- Formal partnerships with key groups such as GPs, education departments, sporting clubs, banks and Australia Post to spread the word through everything from co-branded posters to “point of sale information”.
- “Cultivated” celebrity advocates to describe what they were doing at home — such as Jamie Durie on drought-proofing the garden — as well as “everyday” Australians who could talk about how they had made their households more energy efficient.
The lavish spending was encouraged by Climate Change department head Martin Parkinson who sent a cabinet-in-confidence brief to his minister, Penny Wong, in February in which he said: “The government is likely to be criticised for any advertising it undertakes on climate change, regardless of how extensive the campaign is. If the government decides to advertise, it would be advisable to resource and layer the campaign comprehensively.” In short, go for broke.
The Audit Office expressed concern about the government starting to advertise before the legislation passed the Senate, which it ultimately failed to do.
We dodged a huge bullet there. But if the ALP win they will do it again.