Darwin Festival: Santos defends action and stance on climate change after calls to be dumped as sponsor

Gas giant Santos has responded to calls for it to be removed as a sponsor for a major event.

SANTOS has defended its action on climate change and involvement with Darwin Festival, following calls for the gas giant to be removed as a sponsor.

In a statement, a Santos spokesperson said the company was a “corporate leader in climate action”.

“Santos has been supporting the Darwin Festival since 1996,” they said.

“It is part of our commitment to support the communities where we live and work. In the Territory, we employ more than 100 local workers and we have spent $20m buying goods and services from 60 local suppliers this year.

“Santos is a corporate leader in climate action with a clear climate transition action plan and a target of net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040.

“The International Energy Agency says that natural gas is critical to a lower-carbon future and it is also critical to meeting other human development goals, including universal access to reliable energy, improving air pollution and human health outcomes, and lifting people out of poverty.

“All of these goals are important and the vast majority of Australians support the work that Santos is doing to pursue them.”

It comes as nearly 200 artists and creative producers signed an open letter to Darwin Festival asking them to remove sponsorship from fossil fuel companies.

Darwin Festival chair Ian Kew OAM said he had received the letter and understands the concerns expressed.

“We’ve already met with Fossil Fuel Arts NT and we have set a date to meet with them after the festival,” he said.

“At the moment, we’ve got a festival to present and that’s the most important thing but we’re more than willing to meet with them and other stakeholders after the festival.”

Santos is sponsoring the First Nations Opening Weekend event.

“Without corporate sponsors, we would not have the festival we have today,” Mr Kew said.

“Santos have been a long and loyal sponsor for nearly 30 years and indeed, the opening free concert is because Santos are providing some funding towards that.

“We need to understand the concerns and of course you know, there are many industries that operate in the Territory and oil and gas is one of them.

“It’s an important one and we do value all of the sponsors that we have so far.”

Calls for Darwin Festival to ‘dump’ major sponsor

FIRST Nations people are calling on the Territory’s popular Darwin Festival to “dump” major fossil fuel sponsor of the event.

Traditional Owners from Larrakia, Tiwi Islands and Beetaloo Basin impacted by Santos gas projects have launched a campaign demanding the arts and culture festival take a leading role in climate action.

The campaign called ‘Darwin Festival – Dump Santos!’ has had nearly 200 artists and creative producers sign an open letter to Darwin Festival which said that “fossil fuel sponsorship and messages promoting its expansion has no place in our arts, culture and public institutions”.

Darwin Festival and Santos have been in partnership for nearly three decades.

Santos sponsor the festival’s Opening Night Concert which is free for Territorians each year.

The festival’s chair Ian Kew OAM formerly worked for oil companies.

In a statement provided by the Darwin Festival board, it acknowledged the open letter and concerns expressed.

“While there are already contractual commitments in place for this year’s Festival, the board has met with representatives of the concerned artists and has agreed to meet with them again, and other key stakeholders after this year’s Festival to discuss its future funding options,” it said.

Rembarranga and Tiwi Islander woman and author Marie Munkara said Santos was “nothing more than a smiling assassin.”

“(They) think their funding of the arts and their platitudes about Indigenous culture will give them credibility and buy them the freedom to continue destroying our sacred sites, our land and our planet,” she said.

Marie Munkara wants Santos dumped as a major sponsor of the Darwin Festival. Picture: Che Chorley

Larrakia Danggalaba Traditional Owner and elder Tibby Quall, who is fighting Santos’ Barossa Project and recently took court action in South Korea to halt loans for the project, said if “Darwin Festival is serious about respecting our culture then it would drop Santos today”.

“Santos’s Barossa project will be disastrous for us, putting our sacred sites and marine life at risk,” he said.

Fossil Free Arts NT spokeswoman Anna Weekes said the beloved Darwin Festival has a responsibility to reflect the values of its artists and audiences.

Santos sponsor the Darwin Festival opening concert. Pic: Darwin Festival / Elise Derwin

“Territory communities have been clear that gas fracking is unsafe and unwelcome,” she said.

“We can no longer afford to expand dirty gas projects if we want to keep Territorians safe from climate change.

“Santos is using the festival as a way to buy social acceptance for continued gas mining. “There’s no place in our arts for promoting a company whose operations are harming our health, natural environment and future.”