The SA Greens have renewed their calls for the Malinauskas State Government to drop one of Australia’s largest oil and gas companies as the named sponsor of the Tour Down Under.
The energy giant, currently facing claims of ‘greenwashing’ in Federal Court, should not be enabled to launder its tarnished reputation through our premier cycling event.
Greens MLC Tammy Franks has called on Events South Australian to seek alternative sponsorship arrangements that better align with the progressive values of the state.
Quotes attributable to Tammy Franks MLC:
“Santos sponsorship of the Tour Down Under is sportswashing 101 by a company seeking to green its tarnished image. We see through that — they are still a fossil fuel company that directly contributes to the climate crisis no matter what cover they seek from associations with a cycling event.”
“The questions the Malinauskas Government and Events SA now have to answer now is how they thought their choice to allow this situation to promote Santos on platform with our premier cycling event was tenable.”
“It’s completely unacceptable that Santos, which is a huge contributor to climate change, is the naming rights sponsor of South Australia’s premier cycling event. If the name sponsor was a more values-aligned company the protests, petitioning and reputational risk of this hypocrisy would not exist.”
“South Australia has a proud reputation as a leader in the transition to clean, renewable energy, but leadership also means saying no to greenwashing sponsorship deals from fossil fuel companies. You have to wonder how this bid for tourism and brand name building for our State plays out to those who will see this greenwashing and sportswashing for what it is.“