Santos name disappears from botanic building
Adelaide Botanic Gardens has removed oil and gas company Santos’ name from its renowned botany museum building.
The news emerged that Santos is no longer the naming rights partner of Adelaide’s Botanic Gardens Museum, as protestors urged the oil and gas company to fix a gas leak in Darwin.
InDaily understood that a deal with Santos for funding to the Museum of Economic Botany gave it the naming rights until 2029.
A Botanic Gardens spokesperson would not confirm the naming rights end date, citing commercial in confidence, and declined to say when or why the signage was removed.
In a statement, the organisation said it was pursuing new partnership opportunities.
“Our institution values the financial support that Santos provided between 2009 and 2017 to restore the Museum of Economic Botany and support the work of both the SA Seed Conservation Centre, and some of our education programs,” a spokesperson said.
“These activities have had a positive impact for the South Australian community, and for the sustainability of the environment more broadly. Without this support we would not have been able to share the Museum of Economic Botany with thousands of new visitors every year and its loyal following of fans and volunteers.
“The Museum and its permanent collection is the last of its kind in the world and dates back to the original museum display 130 years ago.
“We acknowledge the support that Santos has provided. Going forward, BGSH is turning their focus to new partnerships and possibilities which align with our Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027 to enhance our organisation and our sustainability.”
Santos, which is currently embroiled in a controversy over operating an alleged leaking gas storage facility in Darwin, did not respond to questions about whether it would pursue action over the naming rights.
You might like
A consortium led by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is currently conducting due diligence of its takeover bid for Santos, with news of the next stage of the takeover due later in September.
The naming rights were part of a partnership that began in 2009 where Santos gave $2 million in funding to restore the museum, along with establishing the Kitchen Garden and Seed Conservation Programs.
The ties between the gardens and Santos previously had been criticised by groups like Extinction Rebellion, who protested at the site in 2022, and the South Australian arts community, that penned an open letter on the issue in 2023.
Author Jennifer Mills, who was a signatory to the letter, told InDaily the move is “fantastic”.
“It shows that they have listened to community and made a socially conscious and socially responsible choice,” Mills said.
“I’m really thrilled that the gardens has made this decision, and I think it shows other organisations that might have these legacy arrangements or naming rights deals that they can do the same.”
Though the criticism and accusations of greenwashing came a decade after the Santos deal was struck in 2009, Mills said it’s not a case of applying today’s standards to past deals.
“It’s about applying today’s standards to today, and I think it’s become unacceptable for organisations that want to have an environmental image to be sponsored by fossil fuel companies,” she said.
“That’s happened very gradually, but it’s happened very decisively.”
Mills said the move shows how society’s understanding of the role of fossil fuel companies has shifted.
“I hope it’s a final decision and they’re not going to suddenly go ‘well now we’re sponsored by BP,” she said.
Stay informed, daily
The news comes after protestors gathered outside Santos’ Flinders Street building this morning, urging the company to fix a gas leak in Darwin.
The action, organised by the SA Conservation Council, comes after reports revealed a Santos-owned gas tank at Darwin’s first liquefied natural gas plant has been leaking for 19 years.
Though the leaky tank is currently empty, it is about to be filled again ahead of a $5.6 billion Barossa project.
The ABC revealed the leak was not reported to the environmental regulator until eight months after it was discovered, and was then hidden from the public.
NT and federal regulators have not forced Santos to repair or replace the leaky tank.
In a statement, a Santos spokesperson said the storage tank “operated safely for 18 years up to the Darwin Life Extension project shutdown”.
“It is regulated by NT WorkSafe and operates under an approved Safety Case. During the Darwin Life Extension project, Santos and independent third-party experts conducted a comprehensive inspection program of the tank and confirmed that it remains fit and safe for service for the life of the Barossa gas project.
“All regulatory approvals are in place and an ongoing monitoring program is in place. Santos reports all its greenhouse gas emissions annually, including from DLNG, under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme.”
Conservation Council campaigns coordinator Charlotte Nitschke said, given this, the Botanic Gardens partnership ending “could not come at a more critical time”.
“We warmly commend the Botanic Gardens for showing real leadership by stepping away from their partnership with Santos ahead of schedule,” Nitschke said.
“This news could not come at a more critical time. Right now, Santos is pursuing massive gas expansion projects in the Northern Territory, despite overwhelming evidence that we must urgently move away from fossil fuels.
“We call on all organisations still partnering with big polluters to take the same hard look at their values.
“With the current situation that we’re in, where we’ve got the climate crisis on our doorstep with the algal bloom, there’s no excuse for these kinds of partnerships.
“There are companies that are more responsible with the environment that could be providing these kinds of sponsorships.”
Santos is South Australia’s largest company according to the South Australian Business Index.
