Several City of Fremantle councillors have thrown their support behind a proposal to investigate ridding council buildings and events of fossil fuel promotion.
At a meeting last night, a motion was put forward calling for the chief executive to investigate ways to control or restrict advertising and sponsorships from companies whose main business is the extraction or sale of coal, oil and gas.
Councillors on the Finance, Policy, Operations and Legislation Committee voted in support of the motion, six to one.
A formal position will be reached when the full council meets later this month. With a majority of councillors already indicating their support, the motion is likely to pass.
Councillor Adin Lang, who put forward the proposal, said he believed it was an important move for the City to make as a part of their commitment to addressing climate change.
"While this action itself won't stop climate change, it's about the transition away from fossil fuels," he said.
"Allowing fossil fuel companies to advertise, promote themselves, greenwash or buy social license in our community makes it harder to transition away from fossil fuels."
He said while the motion did not mean the city would implement a ban, researching what restrictions might look like was a crucial first step, and something no other council in WA had done.
"Rather than just jumping straight into a ban, we want to know what we'd be banning and the consequences," he said.
Fine details to be ironed out
Mr Lang said there was a lot of detail they needed to determine in the report, including what it would mean for third-party groups who used council property.
"At the moment the objective is to restrict advertising of fossil fuels on council land and property," he said.
"That potentially could preclude events that are sponsored by fossil fuel companies from happening.
"A challenge may be if fossil fuel companies can't sponsor events or grassroots community groups, is there a gap in funding that can't be breached?"
He said they would also need to determine what advertisements and companies fell under the criteria.
"I don't know where we are going to draw the line yet," he said.
"And if an organisation is an energy provider and they are involved in renewables and fossil fuels, that is something we would definitely need to iron out."
According to the CSIRO, about 90 per cent of the world's carbon emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels, and most of Australia's emissions also come from energy production, followed by transport, agriculture and industrial process.
Sporting, cultural organisations in sights
Any move to enforce a ban could restrict the advertising of fossil fuel company Woodside Energy, the main sponsor of the Fremantle Dockers, at Fremantle Oval.
It could also have impacts for sporting groups that operate in the area, such as Surf Life Saving WA's nippers program that is also supported by Woodside.
During the meeting, a White Gum Valley resident raised concern over what the impacts might be for the clubs such as the Fremantle Surf Club if their sponsorship fell under the criteria of a ban.
He also questioned whether a ban could be seen as hypocritical, given how much fossil fuel-based transport the city operated.
If passed at the council meeting, the City of Fremantle would join other jurisdictions such as the City of Sydney, and Melbourne's Yarra and Moreland, who have made similar moves.
Overseas, restrictions on fossil fuel advertising are in place in France, along with several government areas in the UK and the Netherlands.
Mr Lang said examples of fossil fuel promotion could be seen all across the city.
"If you look at bus stops around Fremantle, there might be adverts promoting gas options. If you look at Fremantle Oval you might see other billboards will fossil fuel companies advertised," he said.
The move comes as a campaign to ban fossil fuel ads and sponsorships grows, driven by a group of marketing, public relations and advertising specialists known as CommsDeclare.
Last week Perth festival announced it would be parting ways with its long-term major sponsor, Chevron Australia, to focus on other sponsorship opportunities.
Restrictions send 'important message'
Curtin University lecturer in marketing and sustainability Angie Silva said bans on fossil fuel promotion were being used as a way for organisations or councils to send a message about their values.
"If you look at council-owned assets, they do represent the voice of a collective general public, or the residents within that area," she said.
"And it sends an important message that using publicly owned assets to publicise fossil fuel companies isn't aligned with [community] opinion."
Dr Silva said the sentiment was similar to that behind tobacco and alcohol advertising restrictions.
"It's essentially saying science-based evidence shows fossil fuels have a negative impact on wider society, and therefore why should it be widely promoted, especially using physical assets that belong to the community," Dr Silva said.
The next council meeting will take place on October 26, where the full council will formally vote on the motion.
