With Climate Week NYC in the background, Comms Declare and Clean Creatives have released the F-List 2025, exposing the scale of fossil fuel influence in Australia’s advertising, PR, lobbying and media sectors.

The Australian report identifies 156 fossil fuel contracts in 2024-25, spanning advertising, PR and lobbying. Of these, 102 were lobbying contracts, including 57 registered to operate in Federal Parliament. In practice, this means up to 105 individual lobbyists – nearly a quarter of all 468 federally registered lobbyists – were working for fossil fuel clients.

Founder of Comms Declare, Belinda Noble, said the findings help explain why strong climate action is repeatedly delayed, “Even the shocking number of lobbying contracts underplays the influence of fossil fuels in Federal Parliament. There are up to 105 individuals working on those contracts, representing nearly a quarter of the 468 registered lobbyists. This is democracy for hire. Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber voices for the planet, while agencies and media help spin delay instead of action.”

Some standouts for the wrong reasons:

• 7 contracts with Omnicom agencies, the most of any global holding company, 10 contracts with Omnicom’s GRACosway, the top agency for the third year running

• 6 contracts each with AGL and Alinta, the brands with the highest fossil fuel spend

• 4 contracts with News Corp, the most of any media company, with SBS also listed for the first time

• Japanese energy giant, JERA, one of the world’s largest LNG buyers, contracted four federal lobbying firms plus an additional Western Australia firm during 2024-25. JERA actively lobbied against pollution restrictions while buying gas from Woodside’s North West Shelf, a project recently extended with federal and WA government approval.

• Woodside itself was represented by WPP’s Hawker Britton and The Brand Agency, while Omnicom’s IPG Mediabrands – which also holds millions in federal government advertising contracts – simultaneously worked for AGL, Jemena and Kleenheat.

Noble stated, “Coal, oil and gas are paying agencies to polish their image, not to cut their emissions. These contracts reveal an industry addicted to spin for hire.”

• Further, the F-list report found News Corp produced a week-long series of pro-gas stories, including front-page spreads sponsored by Santos, Jemena, APA and Tamboran Resources.

• SBS CulturalConnect and Identity Communications created television and social content for AGL, Australia’s largest greenhouse gas polluter.

Noble added, “This report shows we have agencies claiming climate credentials and working for brands pushing for climate action, while still cashing cheques from fossil fuels. It’s taking from both sides of the fence. Businesses and brands pushing for climate action should be demanding greater transparency and working with agencies without fossil fuel exposure.”

Duncan Meisel, executive director of Clean Creatives, said the international findings echo Australia’s context, “The 2025 F-List shows that the fossil fuel industry has doubled down on spin rather than trying to address the urgent issues of the climate emergency. Coal, oil, and gas companies have abandoned any pretence of being climate-friendly actors, and are now trying to browbeat the public and decision-makers into accepting a future of higher energy prices, and more extreme weather. The ad and PR agencies assisting with this influence operation are putting their reputation and their employees’ futures at risk. We have the receipts that show how they’ve been a part of endangering the planet and their industry.”

View the full Australian F-list agency and media data here.

View the Australian lobbyist list with fossil fuel contracts here.

View the Global F-List report here.

Cover image by Pixabay