Tobacco.org

Cracking Down on Tobacco Sales to Children  

Ban begins on smoking in cars with kids  

Canberra drivers are being warned they can now be fined for smoking in cars in which children are travelling.

The ACT Legislative Assembly passed the laws last October and the six month phase-in period and education campaign has ended.

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• Cigarette smugglers beat plain packaging laws 

ILLEGAL cigarettes being smuggled into Australia have soared before plain packaging laws start, a Tobacco Inc-funded report claims.

The industry claims the boom is fostering organised crime amid the nation's shooting sprees and bikie wars.

A report to be released today says smuggled counterfeit and contraband cigarettes tripled last year, slashing $1 billion from federal tax coffers.

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Mall traders call for smoking ban 

Smoking ban reprieve for nine restaurants 

• National class action bid for Big Tobacco health bill 

HEALTH Minister Tanya Plibersek will seek legal advice on a national class action lawsuit against Big Tobacco to recover costs imposed on health budgets by smoking-related diseases.

South Australian Health Minister John Hill yesterday said he had proposed joint legal action during a health ministerial council meeting in Canberra last Friday.

Mr Hill said all ministers "were pretty interested in doing it . . . The commonwealth minister undertook to get some legal advice about the strengths or otherwise of any potential action. We'll get some advice ourselves locally.

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Australian study finds smoking leads to increase in sudden infant death syndrome  

Case S389/2411: British American Tobacco Australasia Limited and Ors v. The Commonwealth of Australia 

JT International SA v Commonwealth of Australia; British American Tobacco Australasia Limited & Ors v The Commonwealth of Australia [2012] HCATrans 92 (18 April 2012) 

JT International SA v Commonwealth of Australia; British American Tobacco Australasia Limited & Ors v The Commonwealth of Australia [2012] HCATrans 93 (19 April 2012) 

• JT International SA v Commonwealth of Australia; British American Tobacco Australasia Limited & Ors v The Commonwealth of Australia [2012] HCATrans 91 (17 April 2012) 

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Plain Packaging – Our View 

We are strongly opposed to the plain packaging of tobacco products. The possible consequences of plain tobacco packaging are very serious:

* While we support the government tobacco control programmes focussing on education and awareness, there is no proof that plain tobacco packaging will have any effect on smoking uptake.

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• Big Tobacco backs Australian law opposers ($$) 

- FT.com PMI said the company was openly supporting governments that challenged Australia on plain packaging.

“We have been in contact with many of these countries, including on the trade and legal issues associated with the [plain packaging] policy,” it said. “It is commonplace for affected industries to support countries in WTO disputes and we are open to supporting governments that challenge Australia on plain packaging.”

BAT said the company was happy to provide legal support to member states, but it was “up to them” to accept it.

However, the news drew a sharp response from anti-tobacco campaigners.

“It is very concerning that tobacco companies are using legal action as a delaying tactic against a government that is trying to protect the health of its citizens,” said Robin Hewings, tobacco control manager for Cancer Research UK.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the London-based Action on Smoking and Health, accused the tobacco companies of “getting others to do their dirty work”.

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Editorial: Smokers pay the price  

Whether the Federal Government will agree to introduce such litigation in Australia remains to be seen. However, it should not be deterred by the tobacco giants' stature in the business landscape.

A failure to act in such a manner would risk demonstrating to the public that governments are not serious about bringing tobacco companies to heel and would undermine the efforts of the anti-smoking lobby. The evidence seems abundantly clear on the issue. Now our leaders must show some spine and act accordingly.

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• South Australia mounts lawsuit against tobacco companies  

SOUTH Australia is spearheading a push to recoup billions of dollars spent on caring for sick smokers.

Health Minister John Hill put the proposal to a Ministerial Council meeting in Canberra on Friday and said he had received a positive response.

Mr Hill said Australia was well placed to force tobacco companies to compensate governments for the health costs associated with smoking over many decades.

A similar class action in the US led to the major firms agreeing to the 1997 US Master Settlement Agreement, in which tobacco companies agreed to pay up to $200 billion compensation to states over 30 years.

"I raised it with the other Ministers and we agreed that we would ask the Commonwealth to investigate a similar scheme here," Mr Hill said.

"It costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year to look after smokers and it is a cost that is completely preventable, and I think we should be able to make a case in Australia, similar to the case in the US, where tobacco companies were forced to pay compensation to the states."

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