A new investigation has revealed that a Shell subsidiary has paid more than AUD 10 million to the Queensland Museum over the past decade — money used to create climate and STEM education resources for schoolchildren. The scale of the funding, and the content it appears to influence, is sparking serious concern.
The Partnership
Since 2015, Shell’s Queensland Gas Company has sponsored the museum’s Future Makers program, with more than 400,000 downloads of its educational materials. Both Shell and the museum say the content aligns with the curriculum and that the company does not shape the lessons.
But climate educators and advocacy group Comms Declare disagree, pointing to consistent gaps and omissions in how the materials explain climate change.
What’s Missing
Despite overwhelming scientific consensus, the resources often:
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Downplay or omit the role of burning fossil fuels in global warming.
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Emphasise technological “solutions” like carbon capture without explaining the core problem.
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Frame climate impacts as something to “adapt” to, rather than address at their source.
For critics, this represents a distortion of science — especially when taught to children.
Why It Matters
The museum is legally required to provide leadership in explaining Queensland’s natural heritage. Accepting major funding from a fossil-fuel company while delivering climate education raises obvious questions about conflicts of interest and the integrity of public institutions.
This controversy also fits a broader global pattern of fossil-fuel companies sponsoring cultural and educational organisations to cultivate influence and soften public scrutiny.
The Bigger Debate
Parents, teachers and policymakers are now asking:
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How much sway should corporate sponsors have in classrooms?
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Should fossil-fuel companies fund climate education at all?
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And how do we ensure kids receive clear, evidence-based science?
At heart, the issue is simple: children deserve climate education grounded in truth — not shaped by the industries most responsible for the crisis.
Queensland Museum is not an isolated case. ‘In 2023, The Guardian Australia identified 535 similar deals between fossil fuel companies and Australian cultural institutions. Australian oil giant Woodside alone had 56 sponsorships, ranging from the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra and Western Australia Ballet, to the Surf Life Saving WA “Nippers” programme, where children as young as five years old sport the company logo on their T-shirts,’ according to DeSmog.