Hancock Prospecting has been found to breach the national advertiser’s code by making unsubstantiated claims about ‘green gas’. What’s the scam?
The scam is how the Gina Rinehart-owned company ran a recruitment ad in The Australian last October claiming that “Our clean gas keeps the lights, and factories, hospitals, and shops open from Tokyo to Toowoomba.” The claim was disputed by climate communications group Comms Declare, and their complaint was upheld by Ad Standards.
Ad Standards is a code set by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA).
The Ad Standards community panel found that claims of “clean gas” in the advertisement were both misleading and unsubstantiated, ruling that “without further disclaimers explaining the limitations of the word ‘clean’ in this context, the advertisement was misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive.”
Belinda Noble, founder and president of Comms Declare, told advertising newsletter Mumbrella, “This is a significant ruling because it shows not even oligarchs can get away with misleading the public.”
We’d add – especially when said oligarch is an avowed climate change sceptic who has been publicly opposed to green emission targets, telling the “Bush Summit” just last year that “the sun doesn’t always shine, wind doesn’t always blow.”
Gina Rinehart, Clive Palmer, and Pauline Hanson: A Billionaire Power Play | The West Report
