Berlin Points Out ‘Big Gas is Taking the Piss’ for The Australia Institute

A powerful new campaign from The Australia Institute, one of the country’s most influential public policy think tanks, is taking direct aim at the gas industry’s exploitation of Australians and our economy.

Aimed at promoting Institute research, the campaign is designed to highlight the many ways ‘Big Gas is taking the piss’, including:

• Exporting 80% of Australia’s gas and then telling us there’s a shortage
• Paying zero royalties on more half of the gas they export
• Price gouging us for our own gas – driving gas and electricity prices up to three times higher since exports began.
• Using the gas shortages that they’re creating to push our governments into approving massive new gas export projects, like the North West Shelf project in WA

The campaign has been developed in partnership with Australian performing artist and political advocate, John Butler, who was keen to set the record straight about Big Gas’s true economic contribution to the country.

John said, “I wanted to convey to the Australian public how much they were being deceived by Big Gas and really show the spirit in which this industry operates within our country and more disturbingly, within our governments.”

The campaign has struck a nerve, with its central film recording over 500,000 unpaid views (and counting). Independent senator Jacquie Lambie contributed her own voice to the campaign in front of one of its billboards at Parliament House.

Berlin executive creative director, Rich Berney said, “The gas industry are shipping record volumes of gas out of Australia, whilst tripling our local retail prices. In the same breath, the ATO has called the gas industry ‘systemic non-payers of tax’. Yes, the ATO said that. For the campaign slogan we paraphrased a little.”

Mark Ogge, principal advisor, climate and energy program at The Australia Institute, said, “We are delighted with how effective this ad campaign has been in promoting Australia Institute research.”

The public education campaign is running across Broadcast TV, BVOD, OOH and Print in the lead up to the May Federal Election.

For more information about the campaign, visit The Australia Institute.