Complaint to ACCC regarding APPEA

On July 17, 2023, Lock the Gate and Comms Declare jointly submitted a complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) about representations made by the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) regarding its “future of gas” campaign, alleging that it is in breach of ss 18 and 29 of the Australian Consumer Law. The “future of gas” campaign promotes fossil gas as essential to the transition to a net zero economy without providing information about the role of renewable energy in the transition. Lock the Gate and Comms Declare consider that the campaign is potentially a ‘false and misleading sustainability claim [that] undermine[s] consumer trust in all green claims and reduce[s] confidence in the market’.