"AGN accused of running dodgy 'Love Gas' ads that deceived audiences", 26 June 2025

Australian Gas Networks has been accused of misleading millions of people by claiming its energy distribution network is becoming renewable...

One of Australia's biggest gas companies has misled "millions" of people by claiming its energy distribution network is becoming renewable, Australia's consumer watchdog alleges in its biggest "greenwashing" case yet.

The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) action in the Federal Court relates to a series of "Love Gas" advertisements that Australian Gas Networks (AGN) ran back in 2022 and 2023.

"The ads claimed that the gas that Australian Gas Networks supplies and distributes to households would be renewable within a generation," ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb told ABC News.

"We allege, in fact, it didn't have a sufficient basis for making these claims."...

In recent years, the company has been pushing alternatives to fossil-fuel derived gas, including hydrogen made from renewable energy and biomethane derived from the processing of waste products.

But these energy sources are in their infancy, and the ACCC action argues the science isn't there for AGN to make the claims that its network is going renewable...

"We are concerned that consumers were deprived of the opportunity to make informed choices about the right energy source for use in their homes...

AGN will defend the action, a spokesperson for the company's parent company, AGIG (Australian Gas Infrastructure Group), said.

"We always strive to provide clear and accurate communications about the role and benefits of natural gas today and renewable gas into the future," they said.

"For this reason, we are disappointed with the ACCC's decision to take proceedings and will be defending these claims...

The company faces fines of up to $50 million per contravention.