The Australian Energy Producers (AEP), formerly known as the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), is a peak industry body representing Australia's oil and gas exploration and production sector. Founded in 1959, it is headquartered in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia. AEP's current CEO, Samantha McCulloch, previously was global head of

carbon capture and storage Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a process by which carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial installations is separated before it is released into the atmosphere, then transported to a long-term storage location.IPCC, 2021Annex VII: Glossary at ...

at the

International Energy Agency The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector. The 31 member countries and 13 associatio ...

in Paris.

Public relations and lobbying

AEP is one of Australia's most powerful lobby groups. The AEP has engaged in

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

and

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

efforts to promote the oil and gas industry and influence government policies. These activities have included media relations, advertising, community engagement, and lobbying for industry-friendly policies. AEP has utilized various public relations firms to support its communications and advocacy efforts. One such firm
CMAX Advisory
has been identified as working for AEP. Th
F-List
a report by Clean Creatives, named CMAX Advisory as one of the "most polluting agencies" in Australia due to its representation of fossil fuel clients. However, AEP has faced criticism for

greenwashing Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on "whitewash"), also called green sheen, is a form of advertising or marketing spin that deceptively uses green PR and green marketing to persuade the public that an organization's products, goals, or ...

and prioritising industry interests over public good.

Australian Energy Producers Conference

The organisation hosts the annual Australian Energy Producers Conference and Exhibition, Australia's largest event dedicated to the

energy sector The energy industry refers to all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution. Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy industry is a cr ...

. The conference serves as a key platform for industry leaders, government officials, customers, and financiers to discuss and shape the future of Australia's energy landscape. In 2010 the then 'APPEA' conference won "Association or Government Meeting of the Year" award from Meetings & Events Australia.

Protests

On 20 May 2024, climate activists from organisations including the

Conservation Council of Western Australia The Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA) is the umbrella body for conservation groups and organisations in Western Australia. It has been the co-ordinator, publisher and guiding body for issues of woodchipping in the South West of ...

and

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and ...

protested the conference in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. The protest aimed to express opposition to AEP's promotion of gas expansion in the state and to highlight the growing public concern about the impact of

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geolog ...

projects on

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

. The protest targeted the "Welcome" cocktail reception at the

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory body, statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, WA Museum Boola Bardip, is located i ...

, where attendees included AEP Chair and Woodside CEO

Meg O'Neill Meg O'Neill (Marguerite Eileen O'Neill) is an American business executive and the current chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director of Woodside Energy, Australia's largest oil and gas company. Early life and education Meg O'Neill w ...

, WA Minister for Environment, Energy, and Climate Action

Reece Whitby Reece Raymond Whitby (born 29 May 1964) is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the 2017 state election, representing Baldivis. Shortly after the 2017 election, Whitby was ap ...

, and Federal Resources Minister

Madeleine King Madeleine Mary Harvie King (née Morris; born 31 March 1973) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has been Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia in the Albanese government sin ...

. These individuals are all pushing for more gas projects in WA. The protesters demonstrated outside the museum, chanting for climate action and an end to new fossil fuel projects.

Australian Energy Producers Journal

The ''Australian Energy Producers Journal'' (ISSN 1326-4966) is produced each year in conjunction with the conference and is distributed to conference attendees. The first edition of the Australian Energy Producers (then APEA) Journal was published in 1961. The Australian Energy Producers journal is listed on the ERA (Excellence in Research for Australia) 2012 Journal List as ERAID 1707.

Governance

The Australian Energy Producers (AEP) is governed by a Board of Directors composed of representatives from leading oil and gas companies in Australia. The Board meets quarterly to oversee the organisation's activities and strategic direction. Current AEP Chair and Vice Chair: * Chair:

, Chief Executive Officer and managing director -

Woodside Energy Woodside Energy Group Ltd (formerly Woodside Petroleum Ltd) is an Australian petroleum exploration and production company. Woodside is the operator of oil and gas production in Australia and also Australia's largest independent dedicated oil a ...

* Vice Chair: Tor McCaul, Managing Director - Comet Ridge Current Australian Energy Producers Board: * Frank Calabria - Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director -

Origin Energy Origin Energy Ltd is an ASX listed public company with headquarters in Sydney. It is a major integrated electricity generator, and electricity and natural gas retailer. It operates Eraring Power Station, Australia's largest coal-fired power ...

* Ian Davies - Chief Executive Officer -

Senex Energy Senex Energy Pty Ltd (Senex) is an Australian energy company that was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in 1984 until 2022. The business is now privately owned by POSCO International and Hancock Prospecting. The name refers ...

* Kevin Gallagher- Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer -

Santos Santos may refer to: People *Santos (surname) * Santos Balmori Picazo (1899–1992), Spanish-Mexican painter * Santos Benavides (1823–1891), Confederate general in the American Civil War Places *Santos, São Paulo, a municipality in São Paulo ...

* Mark Hatfield - Managing Director - Chevron Australia * Jan-Arne Johansen - President Australia -

ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas. The company has operations in 15 countries and has production in t ...

Australia * Noel Newell - Executive Chairman - 3D Energi * Jane Norman - Chief Executive & Managing Director - Amplitude Energy * Joel Riddle - Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director - Tamboran Resources * Rachael Risucci - Managing Director, Gas & Low Carbon Energy - Australian - BP Developments Australia * Bill Townsend - Vice President Corporate -

Inpex INPEX Corporation is a Japanese oil company established in February 1966 as North Sumatra Offshore Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd.The Japan TimeInpex fetches 549,000 yen in debut on first section November 18 2004 Retrieved on August 14, 2012 IN ...

* Cecile Wake - Senior Vice President, Integrated Gas Australia & Country Chair -

Shell Australia Shell Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Shell. Shell has operated in Australia since 1901, initially delivering bulk fuel into Australia, then establishing storage and distribution terminals, oil refineries, and a network of service sta ...

* Brett Woods - Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer -

Beach Energy Beach Energy Limited is an Australian oil and gas exploration and production company based in Adelaide, South Australia. Formerly known as Beach Petroleum, the company changed its name to Beach Energy in December 2009. It is a component of the S& ...

* Ken Yamamura - Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director - Mitsui E&P Australia * Simon Younger - Chairman -

ExxonMobil Australia ExxonMobil Australia (formerly Esso Australia) is an Australian affiliate of ExxonMobil, the U.S.-based oil giant. It operates a number of oil and gas platforms in Bass Strait, south east of Melbourne, Australia, as well as a gas processing fac ...

Former Directors

* James Pearson (2000–2002) * Martin Ferguson *

Reg Sprigg Reginald Claude Sprigg (1 March 1919 – 2 December 1994) was an Australian geologist and conservationist.Keeling, J.L. and Hore, S.BDr R C Sprigg – Contributions to geology and insights into landscape evolution Geological Society of Austral ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Home page

Conference home page
Business organisations based in Australia Petroleum industry in Australia Petroleum organizations Organizations established in 1959 1959 establishments in Australia