In November a crew of Greenpeace activists visited Telstra’s head office and flagship stores in Sydney and Melbourne to deliver one simple message: Telstra must cut ties with the gas lobby.
Greenpeace activists stage interactive protest outside Telstra’s flagship store in Melbourne, calling on the company to disconnect from the gas lobby. © Greenpeace
The truth is, your phone plan could be supporting fossil fuel lobbying. Telstra is a paying member of the Business Council of Australia (BCA), a lobby group stacked with polluters that’s been pushing the government to approve more dirty gas projects.
We’ve been trying to connect with Telstra for months – but they still won’t take our calls. So after crashing their AGM last month we knew it was time to turn up the heat.
Taking our mock Telstra phone booth out for a spin
We didn’t just show up to Telstra’s stores empty-handed, in typical Greenpeace fashion we went all out. We constructed a life-sized mock Telstra phone booth and wheeled it right outside Telstra’s flagship store in Melbourne.
Greenpeace activists unload a mock Telstra phone booth in the Melbourne CBD, preparing to transport it in front of Telstra’s flagship store. © Greenpeace
We handed out hundreds of flyers to customers and chatted to Telstra’s employees, giving them ways to take action.
We can’t imagine how they got there () but posters calling Telstra to disconnect with Big Gas appeared all over Telstra’s phone booths surrounding their HQ and flagship offices. Along with some pretty cheeky stickers!
Call me, Telstra stickers appeared all over Telstra’s phone booths across Melbourne and Sydney CBD. © Greenpeace
We also booked out a giant billboard right in view of Telstra’s HQ in Melbourne.
A Greenpeace billboard right in view of Telstra’s headquarters in Melbourne. © Greenpeace
Telstra’s HQ was packed with new employees when we arrived in the foyer, and we managed to distribute hundreds of flyers and make sure our message would be passed on to senior management.
What comes next
For years, the BCA has been delaying climate action, gaining influence from the fact it claims to represent hundreds of Australia’s biggest brands. But when those brands walk away, the gas lobby’s power starts to crumble.
Already, several companies like Rio Tinto, UTS, and Atlassian have responded to the pressure from our campaign by taking steps to move up our Climate Credibility Scorecard – so we know it’s working. But instead of siding with Australian communities, Telstra is choosing to back in Big Gas.
Telstra has an influential role in the BCA – and what they do next has the potential to genuinely shift the BCA’s position on gas. This is an opportunity for Telstra to be part of the solution by aligning its lobbying activity with its values, which could encourage other companies to step up too.
Activists hand out flyers to employees and customers outside Telstra’s flagship store in Sydney. © Greenpeace
But so far the company is remaining silent, implicitly endorsing the BCA’s fossil fuel lobbying. So it’s up to all of us to keep the pressure up!
Together, we can make it impossible for corporations to hide behind lobby groups like the BCA – and prove that their customers aren’t falling for the greenwash.
Telstra may try to block our calls, but they can’t block our movement.
Hey – before you go, click here to leave a message for Telstra’s leadership team.
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