Telstra’s climate credibility has been questioned at its AGM with Greenpeace staging a protest.  

Alongside climate and investment experts, Greenpeace called out Telstra for its silence while serving on the board of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) – who they claim are a “vested interest group that has doubled-down on its support for new gas and lobbied against climate action.”

Exposing the ‘climate misalignment,’ the organisation protested outside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday where the AGM was held.

Shareholders and customers were also invited to make their concerns known.

Step into the phone booth

As part of the protest, Greenpeace used a mock Telstra phone booth to invite shareholders and the public to ‘call the company’, demanding it “clean up its act on climate, and walk away from the BCA.”

Solaye Snider, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“Telstra talks a big game on climate, but by staying silent while the BCA doubles-down on its support for new gas and continues to lobby against climate action, Telstra is part of the problem.

“Of all the BCA members we ranked on our Climate Credibility Tracker, based on whether their actions match their climate commitments, Telstra sits at the bottom. Telstra’s ongoing support for the BCA directly contradicts the commitments it has made to its customers, shareholders and the Australian public, and the company should be held to account.

Climate contradiction

During the AGM proceedings, climate change expert, Professor Emeritus David Karoly from the University of Melbourne joined the demonstrations to challenge Telstra’s position on new gas projects and its alignment with the BCA.

“Telstra’s public climate commitments, including its pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement, are in clear conflict with the Business Council of Australia’s advocacy,” he said.

“Scientific consensus shows that all fossil fuels, including gas, must decline rapidly to limit warming to 1.5C. The Business Council of Australia’s ongoing support for new gas developments, including the extension of the North West Shelf facility to 2070, is incompatible with the urgent reductions required.

“Telstra cannot conceivably claim to be committed to its climate goals, while indirectly advocating for more fossil fuels through the Business Council of Australia.”

On the same page

Senior ESG Manager at SIX, James Alexander, highlighted the importance of businesses and affiliate organisations aligning on key issues such as climate, citing investor and consumer expectations.

“There is a growing expectation from institutional investors for more transparency in corporate climate lobbying and promoting lobbying aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement,” he said.

“Telstra’s Membership of the Business Council of Australia, whose CEO called for Woodside’s expansion of its North West Shelf gas project, is an example. The emissions from this project alone dwarfs any emissions reductions from Telstra’s efforts.”

From expectation to action

The Telstra AGM Greenpeace demonstration is a reminder to Boards and brands everywhere that shareholders and consumers expect the businesses and companies they support to align with their views.

And when they don’t, they can take action by boycotting.

“Communities across Australia, especially regional areas, are already facing the real impacts of climate change: extreme bushfires, record-breaking floods, and damaging storms, driven by the burning of fossil fuels like gas,” said Snider, adding – “They deserve to know when a company claiming to take action is backing those who are making it worse.

“If Telstra is serious about its climate commitments, it must walk away from the BCA.”