An \u201cindependent, community-driven association\u201d that ran anti-Labor adverts during the last federal election was entirely funded by a coal industry lobby group, the Guardian can reveal.<\/p>\n
Energy for Australians accepted more than $1m from Coal Australia \u2013 a group advocating for coal whose members include major miners Yancoal, Peabody, New Hope and Whitehaven.<\/p>\n
One expert on climate and energy lobbying said the Energy for Australians campaign \u201chad all the hallmarks of astroturfing\u201d \u2013 a form of lobbying where groups are backed by corporate interests while claiming to be community-led.<\/p>\n
According to figures from Meta\u2019s ad library, the group spent $135,620 on 62 Facebook adverts focusing on energy costs in the weeks running up to the 2025 federal election.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n People who saw the adverts, which garnered at least 3.5m impressions, were told to \u201cswitch off Labor\u201d and that \u201cif you can\u2019t afford power, can\u2019t afford Labor.\u201d<\/p>\n Disclosures to the Australian Electoral Commission show Energy for Australians was a \u201csignificant third-party\u201d and declared $1,083,061 in receipts from donors \u2013 all from Coal Australia \u2013 and $803,495 in election spending.<\/p>\n An archive of Energy for Australians website <\/a>\u2013 which is no longer live \u2013 shows the organisation described itself as \u201can independent, community-driven association, dedicated to achieving energy independence through a practical mix of nuclear, coal, gas, and renewable technologies\u201d.<\/p>\n Prof Christian Downie, an expert on co-ordinated campaigns to block climate action at the Australian National University, said Energy for Australians had \u201call the hallmarks of astroturfing because its name and description give the impression that it is a legitimate community group, when in reality it is a front group funded directly by Coal Australia\u201d.<\/p>\n Downie said organisations like Energy for Australians were being used \u201cto mislead the public and political leaders\u201d by \u201cgiving the false impression there is widespread support or opposition for an issue or policy\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis type of astroturfing has now become a common feature distorting Australian election campaigns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Claire Snyder, executive director of Climate Integrity, a group campaigning for transparency around corporate climate and energy issues, said it was \u201cnot obvious at all\u201d to anyone who would have seen the advertising that it was funded by a coal industry group.<\/p>\n \u201cIf companies wouldn\u2019t publish those ideas on their own social media accounts, why are they funding these adverts at all? Energy for Australians is an unknown brand. Now we know who was paying for that partisan political advertising,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A cross-party Senate inquiry<\/a> last month said the government should \u201cexplore ways\u201d to ensure greater transparency in political campaigns, including the creation of third party groups such as Energy for Australians that were funded by corporate interests.<\/p>\n Energy for Australians is registered as an incorporated association in NSW and its public officer is Sydney accountant Samuel Lee, who authorised the advertising using the same address as his company, Atlas Chartered Accountants.<\/p>\n The Guardian sent questions to Samuel Lee about the nature of the organisation and if it was fair for it to claim independence.<\/p>\n Lee told the Guardian he was \u201cnot a part of Energy for Australians\u201d and so would not answer questions about the funding of the advertising campaign. He said Energy for Australians was a client, but refused to forward questions or provide any contact.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cRegarding the authorisation of campaign material, they gave me the material to review, I did a commonsense check, Googled a few claims and facts to make sure they weren\u2019t obviously wrong, made sure there wasn\u2019t anything violent or sexual in nature then approved.<\/p>\n \u201cI never needed to send anything back. I had no other input or control.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Coal Australia said its donations to third parties \u201caim to inject factual awareness and debate on Australia\u2019s energy policies\u201d as well as other issues.<\/p>\n Coal Australia had \u201cno association\u201d with Samuel Lee, the spokesperson said. Coal Australia had told a Senate inquiry that \u201cnot only does it not engage in so-called astroturfing, but we do not believe it works\u201d.<\/p>\n Coal Australia has become a significant funder of third-party political campaigns.<\/p>\n