Paper looks into mine
New Hope’s social media use
A NEW discussion paper has revealed New Hope, the company behind Acland mine, was estimated to have spent $1.2 million in the past year on advertising and ran an online campaign disguised as a grassroots movement.
The discussion paper was released by the Australian Institute, a think-tank who states its mission is to create a more ‘‘sustainable and peaceful society’’.
It was authored by Dr Cameron K. Murray who said the company used a technique called astroturfing.
“These activities are designed to superficially appear like grassroots community-led organising rather than orchestrated commercial marketing,” he said.
One such instance was the Friends of New Acland Mine Facebook group, which the report revealed to be run by New Hope’s media and communications manager.
Dr Murray said a change.org petition, which gained 7000 signatures, was also set up in June 2017 called ‘‘save regional towns - save Oakey’’ which stated 700 jobs in Oakey would be lost if stage three did not go ahead. The petition was set up by a New Hope community liaison officer.
He said this was despite data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics stating only 46 people who live in the 4401 postcode – which takes in Oakey – worked in mining.
“The need for this astroturfing campaign at all suggests that perhaps the economic importance of the mine to the wider community is not quite as large as it is to New Hope group shareholders,” Dr Murray said.
A New Hope spokeswoman declined to comment on the discussion paper and the company’s use of astroturfing, but pointed The Chronicle to an Ernst and Young report released last year about the mine’s economic impact.
That report, released in November found if the New Acland stage three application was approved it would inject $8.127 billion into the Australian economy.
It found 535 jobs across Oakey, Acland, Dalby and Toowoomba would be lost if the mine was not expanded.
Photo: Contributed