Adelaide Airport removed or blocked digital billboards from the Murray-Darling Conservation Alliance, the Bob Brown Foundation and the Adelaide Park Lands Association that were booked to run around the ALP national conference, saying its on-site advertising guidelines bar political material. MDCA’s “Save the Murray” ad had been contracted to run from 13 July to 26 July but had disappeared by the morning of 22 July, Craig Wilkins said. The Bob Brown Foundation’s ads, booked for 20, 26 July at four locations, were told they would no longer appear from noon on 23 July after a decision by the airport, the foundation said. JCDecaux, the advertising agency, told campaigners the airport, which owns the assets, made the final decision because the material was “too political.” Senator David Pocock described the move as “disgraceful and undemocratic” and the Bob Brown Foundation’s Bob Brown called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to insist the ads be reinstated. The Guardian reported gas and mining ads from Santos, the Minerals Council of Australia and an “Australia runs on natural gas” campaign were running while the conservation ads were pulled; the paper understands one gas ad and a minerals council ad have since been stopped but an alternative minerals council advert remained in rotation. Campaigners said airport refusals included a “Stop the Chop” billboard booked for the airport exit and a proposed ad promoting a gas export tax was also refused, prompting criticism that corporate messaging is being permitted while community environmental messages were barred.
