Pro-gas group with link to Liberal party referred to ACCC over alleged misleading claims

Nathaniel Smith, the Liberal candidate for the seat of Whitlam, is among the directors of Australians for Natural Gas. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has been asked to investigate allegedly misleading claims made by Australians for Natural Gas, a pro-gas group with directors who include a gas industry executive and a Liberal candidate running in the federal election.

Lawyers acting for Climate Integrity, a not-for-profit focused on corporate accountability, have filed a complaint with the ACCC. They argue that the website and advertising materials of Australians for Natural Gas have failed to disclose its directors’ links to the gas industry and Liberal party, and overinflated the role of gas in the economy and energy transition.