The agreement is confidential at the request of the company, which regards its contents as commercially sensitive. As you can imagine, your approach is very welcome to us at the moment''. The ACF denies there is any provision in the Southcorp agreement or its other alliances that prevent it from criticising the company. It issued a statement last December supporting the decision by the South Australian Environment Protection Authority to prosecute Southcorp for polluting the North Para River, north of Adelaide. Tasmanian Greens Senator Bob Brown is a critic of the secrecy involved in corporate alliances.
Brown urges caution generally in corporate engagement.
Garrett acknowledges the need for care in reaching agreements with companies, but is unapologetic about the trend towards engagement. Other sponsors include Holeproof, American Express, Accor, Escape Holidays and Southern Cross. Microsoft helps fund a campaign to protect the Australian habitat of whales and dolphins. Kyocera has a four-year sponsorship agreement that provides direct financial support, with Ecosys printers for ACF offices. It is a vision that appeals to young people, by far the strongest supporters of the Greens.