The City of Sydney voted last night to investigate a ban on fossil fuel advertising on its advertising assets, becoming the first jurisdiction in New South Wales to do so.
In Victoria, Yarra City Council and Moreland City Council voted for a report on how to restrict fossil fuel advertising, in April and July respectively.
The CEO of the City of Sydney will “investigate implementing restrictions on advertising for fossil fuels for any council-controlled signage or property, as well as a ban on accepting sponsorships from companies whose main business is the extraction or sale of coal, oil or gas”.
The motion also requested the lord mayor of Sydney Clover Moore write to both the federal minister for communications Michelle Rowland and outgoing NSW minister for digital government Victor Dominello for bans at the federal and state levels, respectively.
Speaking at the council meeting last night, deputy lord mayor Jess Scully said the ban was in line with the council’s commitment to climate-change action.
“Some people might say, you know, that’s beyond the role of local governments. Some people might say it’s a woke campaign but you know what, lord mayor, the great thing is that the people of the City of Sydney have woken up,” Scully said last night.
During the meeting, City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone was asked how much money fossil fuel advertising brings to the city, which Barone said she was unaware of.
“But as far as we know, there hasn’t been any fossil fuel advertising since the new contract,” Barone said.
The City of Sydney began a new 10-year contract with out-of-home advertising company QMS for its outdoor furniture network, announced in June last year.
Scully also praised the campaigning of Comms Declare, a group made of advertising professionals, which has been campaigning for a fossil fuel advertising ban across the country.
Responding to The Mandarin over email, Comms Declare president and founder Belinda Noble called for a ban similar to that of tobacco advertising, emphasising the health impacts of air pollution and natural disasters.
“It’s important that any government aiming to reach net zero acts to reduce demand for high-emissions products and ensures the public receives unbiased information about future energy use and needs,” Noble said.
Consumer advertising in Australia is currently regulated through the non-governmental industry body Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) and the ACCC.
Noble pointed out the prominence of the New South Welsh capital on the international stage.
“The City of Sydney outdoor advertising network is one of the largest and most attractive in the world. Likewise, its events, such as New Year’s Eve are world-famous, so any restrictions are very significant nationally and globally,” the president said.
Internationally, fossil fuel advertising bans are in place in France, and some parts of the UK and the Netherlands.
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