Pro-nuclear lobby group ramps up social media ad spend by nearly 150 pct
Rachel Williamson, Feb 6, 2025, https://reneweconomy.com.au/pro-nuclear-lobby-group-ramps-up-social-media-ad-spend-by-nearly-150-pct/#google_vignette
A pro-nuclear lobby group founded by high school student Will Shackel and backed by businessman Dick Smith has boosted its ad spend on Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta sites by 148 per cent in January, new data has revealed.
The splurge was noticed by London-headquartered Who Targets Me, which tracks digital political ads, and local climate communications group Comm Declare.
The pro-nuclear group, Nuclear for Australia, spent $24,000 trying to reach 5 million people in Australia during the first month of the year.
Ads on Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, mainly targeted middle-aged men (45-54 years) in Queensland with claims that nuclear power is safe, reliable and zero emissions. It also asked them to sign a petition to lift Australia’s ban on nuclear power.
On youth-focused Tiktok, the ads were more focused on motivational explainer videos by Shackel, memes, and recently promotions for a pro-nuclear tour by 22-year-old nuclear engineer and former Miss America, Grace Stanke, also funded by Smith.
“In this election year, it’s clear the opponents of renewable energy will peddle the fantasy that nuclear energy is a viable climate solution for Australia. Nuclear power is too expensive, too slow and too much of a risk,” said Comms Declare founder Belinda Noble.
The ramp in advertising dollar spend by this group mirrors other campaigns, such as the Minerals Council of Australia which launched its own in August last year.
During January it ramped advertising spending by 33 per cent to $9,937 on its Get Clear on Nuclear campaign, which run on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.
That campaign was designed by New Zealand ad agency Topham Guerin, which worked with Australia’s Liberal Party and the the UK’s Conservative Party in their election-winning 2019 year.
“Are they winning? Yes. Because what are you and I taking about right now? [Nationals MP] Ted O’Brien’s brain fart,” he told Renew Economy.
“It’s been very effective. It’s fact free politics. As an analyst I find it impossible to push back on it. The trouble is it’s got serious traction and they’re using their social media platforms to say ‘why can’t we talk about it?’ And they’re conflating nuclear mining with nuclear power plants, and they’re conflating [nuclear powered] defense with energy.”
Lidia Thorpe erupts in a fiery outburst at an American pro-nuclear activist during her visit to Parliament, (Media coverage of Dutton’s nuclear campaign- example 2)
This article, despite “fiery” language , is the STENOGRAPHY style of journalism – i.e – tells us what was said and done, without being propaganda, but also without examining, scrutinising, what was said.
- American visitor Grace Stanke heckled by Thorpe
- Ms Stanke’s sponsor, Dick Smith, welcomes publicity
The 22-year-old is touring Australia advocating nuclear energy, in a trip partly funded by entrepreneur Dick Smith.
Mr Smith told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Stanke is ‘obviously very capable’ and he will meet her at a dinner in Sydney on Wednesday night.
In reaction to Sen Thorpe’s outburst, Mr Smith said: ‘That’s going to create some publicity for this important issue, I think it’s good.
‘I’m very concerned about climate change for our grandchildren and we need as much discussion as possible.
‘My strong view is that the only way we can reduce carbon to very low levels is nuclear.’
He added that he had a ‘lot of Leftie friends that are completely and utterly opposed to nuclear and it’s like a religion with them’.
‘I’m pro-renewables but it’s delusional to run the country on them.’
The businessman has previously come out in support of Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan.
Last year Mr Dutton pledged to build seven publicly-owned nuclear power plants in Australia if elected, with the first predicted to come online from the mid-to-late 2030s, as they require meticulous development.
He has argued nuclear will be crucial to stopping blackouts and lowering electricity bills as it can provide relatively cheap baseload power in the same way coal did, without the pollution.
He also said his $331billion plan will be 44 per cent cheaper than Labor’s program to almost replace coal and gas power with solar and wind energy within 15 years.
Labor’s plan is for renewable energy to comprise 82 per cent of Australia’s energy generation by 2030, rising to 98 per cent by 2040 based on solar and wind.
Both sides of politics support a goal of net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, but the Coalition sees nuclear making up 38 per cent of Australia’s electricity generation by that time, with solar and wind energy making up 49 per cent.
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