The Southern Highlands council added the ban following public feedback.
Wingecarribee Council in the NSW Southern Highlands has become the first in Australia to implement a fossil fuel sponsorship ban.
Eight other councils have voted to enact fossil fuel sponsorship bans but have not yet made them official.
Following consultation on its Grants, Donations and Sponsorships Policy, the council added this paragraph:
“Financial assistance will not be sought from, accepted from or provided to: mining companies whose main business is the extraction or sale of coal, oil or gas”
The inclusion of fossil fuel sponsorship is a victory for people power. It wasn’t in the original policy draft but was added following submissions from members of the public.
The Southern Highlands understands the impacts of climate change with much of the area devastated in the Black Summer bushfires.
UPDATE: Glen Eira council implemented a ban on partnerships with fossil fuel companies in February, 2022, making it the first that we are aware of.
