Dear Customer
You’ve received this email because you are a current customer of EnergyAustralia’s and have participated in our Go Neutral program. As we previously advised you, we no longer offer our Go Neutral product and do not intend to offer the product in future.
In July 2023, the advocacy organisation Parents for Climate launched legal action against EnergyAustralia in the Federal Court of Australia alleging that EnergyAustralia's marketing of its Go Neutral carbon offset product amounted to misleading or deceptive conduct contrary to the Australian Consumer Law.
EnergyAustralia and Parents for Climate have agreed to settle the litigation and as part of that settlement EnergyAustralia has agreed to publish a public statement. The public statement is attached to this email and published on our website.
We acknowledge that carbon offsetting is not the most effective way to assist customers to reduce their emissions and we apologise to any customer who felt that the way we marketed our Go Neutral products was unclear. EnergyAustralia has now shifted its focus to direct emissions reductions.
Greenhouse gases are harmful to the environment and contribute to climate change. While offsets can help people to invest in worthwhile products that may reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere, offsets do not prevent or undo the harms caused by burning fossil fuels for a customer's energy use. Even with carbon offsetting, the emissions released from burning fossil fuels for a customer’s energy use still contribute to climate change.
We see this as an opportunity for us to continue to take a leadership role in the renewable energy transition and recognise the important role that climate advocacy groups play in representing the climate interests of the Australian community.
EnergyAustralia’s future focus is firmly on direct carbonisation initiatives including the closure of its Yallourn and Mt Piper coal-fired plants.
Yours sincerely
Kate Gibson
Chief Customer Officer