Inside the fossil fuel industry's push into Australian classrooms - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Fossil fuel companies spend millions on a range of science programs and teaching resources. (Supplied: CommsDeclare/Glencore Coal)

A teaching schedule was disrupted and students were invited to "drill for oil" by an industry-backed education program sponsored by major fossil fuel companies.

A recent investigation found oil and gas companies have spent tens of millions of dollars on educational partnerships.

There are calls for greater scrutiny of industry-backed material and corporate influence in schools.

Alison Holt had never heard of the Energy Club before she was told they would be taking over her science class. 

At the time, she was teaching at Busselton Senior High School in Western Australia when she realised the series of incursions would disrupt her teaching schedule.

"I was told probably a day or two before because, you know, you've got to plan ahead very tightly being a science teacher," Ms Holt said.

"Without any consultation and any permission from the parents, we had three hours taken out of our very tight curriculum time.

"So that's nearly a week of science gone."

Former Busselton Senior High School teacher Alison Holt. (Supplied: Alison Holt)

Ms Holt recalled asking her head of department about what the program involved.

"They said: 'Oh, they just come in and, you know, talk about mining and, you know, the petrochemical industry,' and immediately my hair went up on the back of my neck."

Until 2021, the not-for-profit Energy Club WA used to be called The Petroleum Club of WA, and the initiative offered at Alison Holt's school was its Next Generation Energy Program, which has been running since 1991.

Woodside Energy and Exxon Mobil are just two of the major oil and gas companies the Energy Club lists as sponsors.

The course involves industry professionals volunteering time to deliver three lessons with a focus on "energy literacy" and career opportunities.

"We invite our valued sponsors to leverage the Next Generation Schools Program," its flyer states.

"By supporting our established initiative, you can maximise impact by pooling resources … save on development costs, and strengthen community ties through our well-connected framework."

A presentation about natural gas is part of the Next Generation Energy Program. (Supplied: Energy Club WA)

In March 2021, the non-profit decided "to rebrand and move forward as Energy Club WA so that the brand reflects the continued promise of connecting people with energy for a sustainable future".

But as the incursion got underway at the Busselton school, Ms Holt said what she observed seemed inconsistent with that message.

In one activity, the presenters used bread, chocolate spread and sprinkles to simulate how exploration drilling works.

"He'd put Nutella on one piece of bread, then he'd put sprinkles on the next piece, and he'd just make this big four- or five-layer sandwich," she explained.

Students were then invited up to "drill for oil" using plastic straws pushed down through the layers of bread.

A chemical engineer from BP delivering the Next Generation Energy Program at a school in 2023. (Facebook: Armadale Senior High School)

Ms Holt also had concerns about the way the presentations framed the role of gas.

"He spoke about … the different sectors where energy was needed, how it was provided, and then talked about how gas was the answer, you know, in the transition to renewable energy," she said.

After the first of the three sessions, Ms Holt asked whether renewable energy would also be part of the program.

In a statement, Energy Club WA general manager Kate McCarthy said its educational program was reviewed by participating schools to ensure the content was appropriate.

"The classroom teacher is always present during the presentation, and the teacher and school are engaged for feedback on the program and its contents at each visit," she said.

According to the annual report, more than 1,800 students participated in the Next Generation Energy Program in 2025. (Supplied: Energy Club WA)

Mentors for the program were a mix of volunteers and those still working in the industry.

"Sponsors of the Next Generation schools program do not contribute to the committee to develop or review the contents of the program," Ms McCarthy said.

"Energy Club WA has 20 participating schools for 2026."

The Energy Club was one of at least 260 educational programs in Australia sponsored by fossil fuel companies identified in a report by climate advocacy group Comms Declare.

"Our investigation found there is an unacceptable amount of marketing to children in the very places where they should be able to trust the information they're getting," founder Belinda Noble said.

The June 2026 report highlighted a Queensland Museum program sponsored by Shell QGC that invited participants to "draw a diagram of your new carbon capture and storage solution".

Community members protesting outside Queensland Museum in May 2026. (Supplied: CommsDeclare)

Queensland Museum confirmed that some Shell QGC-branded "professional development" materials had been "retired".

Another project with broad access to Australian schools was the Teacher Earth Science Education Programme (TESEP) in Victoria, also sponsored by several coal companies.

One of its teacher resources included a unit on "greening coal", a phrase that critics argue suggests the climate impact of burning coal could be remedied.

"We would say when a company goes building trusted emotional connections with children in institutional environments, we think that can only be described as petro-grooming," Ms Noble said.

Participants in a regional basketball program supported through a Santos partnership. (Supplied: CommsDeclare/Santos)

Comms Declare's investigation found that resources giants including BHP, Chevron, Woodside, Glencore and Shell had disclosed close to $55 million in funding across just six programs and partnerships.

TESEP's website also listed renewable energy and critical minerals companies, and chair Jill Stevens rejected the suggestion the organisation was captured by industry.

"Our industry partners are fully disclosed to all participants in our professional development."

Another industry-backed not-for-profit is Australian Earth Science Education (AusEarthEd), which develops science resources and programs for schools.

In its 2025 annual report it stated that 71 per cent of its funding came from the energy sector, and four of nine board members were employed by resources companies.

Fossil fuel majors are listed on the Supporters page of the AusEarthEd website. (Supplied: AusEarthEd)

One Woodside-sponsored teaching resource carries the company's logo and includes a graphic of a large shoe print over the Earth, labelled "carbon".

"While we often think that greenhouse gas emissions are only from industrial activities, we all contribute to the global carbon footprint," the material reads.

Woodside operates the North West Shelf project, a project the WA Environmental Protection Authority said if unabated would emit 385 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Cybele Dey said focusing on the carbon footprint of young people could downplay the role of governments and companies.

"Individual responsibility is not realistic," Dr Dey said.

"Also, it is a real intergenerational betrayal to be saying that a child who has much less autonomy, much less power, didn't cause the problem, somehow is responsible for this really major problem."

Woodside is also involved with in-school educational programs. (Supplied: CommsDeclare/Woodside Energy)

A Woodside spokesperson said it "encourages our employees to contribute to the community".

"We are proud that many of our people choose to volunteer their time and expertise by serving on boards of charities and not-for-profit organisations in their personal capacity and not as Woodside representatives," the spokesperson said.

"The involvement with AusEarthEd is no exception."

AusEarthEd CEO Joanne Watkins said the organisation provided "much-needed resources to schools".

"These partnerships have no influence over the materials provided to students," she said.

The Comms Declare report also noted instances whereby organisations funded by resources companies were providing accredited professional development for teachers.

For $55, one TESEP professional development course included two nights' accommodation, a field trip, a $100 fuel allowance and free teaching resources.

A 2023 article in the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, a resources industry peak body, said the TESEP program aimed to create "well-informed, enthusiastic teachers", with a "multiplier effect" reaching tens of thousands of students.

Images of TESEP workshops and events from the program's 2025 annual report. (Supplied: TESEP)

Eve Mayes is a researcher at Deakin University, studying curriculum, teaching and corporate influence in schools. She said industry-backed education programs could shape how students learnt about climate change and the energy transition.

"There have been long-standing partnerships with education communities with particular fossil fuel companies," she said.

"I think what big corporates are getting out of that is, in a sense, to purchase social licence.

"And at times that might be it, but that also might influence … how particular topic areas are taught," Dr Mayes said.

Following the release of the Comms Declare investigation, in June 2026 Greens senator Steph Hodgins-May moved a Senate motion to refer the issue to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry.

The motion was unsuccessful, but Ms Noble said the debate in parliament was a first.

"While the motion did not receive enough support to establish an inquiry, the historic debate marks an important step towards greater scrutiny of fossil fuel industry involvement in childhood settings," she said in a recent statement.

The Santos Foundation supports early childhood education in Papua New Guinea. (Supplied: CommsDeclare/Santos Foundation)

For parents like Phoebe Howe, the concern is not just what the report found, but how much remains hidden from families.

"No-one can tell us as parents exactly how many millions of children are being targeted by these big coal and gas companies, where or how often," she said.

"Parents don't have the time to go out and be researching themselves exactly where and how fossil fuel companies … might be trying to influence their kids."