<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/senate-launches-inquiry-into-who-is-funding-fake-astroturf-anti-renewables-groups/>
"Australians have a right to know who is funding anti-climate campaigns and, if
a new Senate inquiry can uncover those money trails, the findings could be
shocking, says the Smart Energy Council’s Tim Lamacraft.
The new Senate committee was installed last night and tasked with investigating
climate and energy mis- and disinformation campaigns and uncovering which
foreign and local organisations are funding “astroturfing”, fake grassroots
movements that are actually coordinated marketing campaigns.
“Australians have a right to know who’s really behind the clogging up of their
social media feeds with anti renewables, anti climate, anti science propaganda.
Rest assured, they’ll be shocked when they find out,” Lamacraft told
Renew
Economy.
“We saw from the last federal election campaign, where [conservative lobby
group] Advance Australia had a $15 million warchest, $14 million of that was in
dark money where we don’t know where it came from.
“The most important thing to do with shadowy networks like this is to shine a
light. It’s extremely damaging to our democracy to allow millions of dollars
from shadowy multinationals, and hidden domestic interests, to influence public
policy for their personal gain, not the public.”
The inquiry, formally known as the select committee on Information Integrity on
Climate Change and Energy, will also question whether Australia’s laws
preventing foreign interference in national politics are strong enough to fight
off internationally-funded domestic political campaigns.
That work will encompass the role of social media in building astroturf
campaigns through the coordinated use of bots and trolls, messaging apps and AI
to spread fake ideas and news.
It will be the first step towards finding out who is financing sophisticated
anti-renewable energy campaigns and misinformation, and whose interests they
truly serve, says committee chair Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson.
“For decades, vested interests have been waging a global war of disinformation
against the clean energy transition, including environmental and climate
legislation, and these vested interests have recently achieved significant
political success in nations such as the US,” he said in a statement.
“In the last parliament, evidence was provided to the Senate Inquiry into
offshore wind industry that strategies such as establishing fake community
groups – otherwise known as astroturfing – were being used in Australia to
spread lies about renewable energy.
“It’s critical that parliament continues this work and now examines these
interests for what they are and who they serve.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
