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Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Page: 4568

Tobacco Products

Mr SIDEBOTTOM (Braddon) (15:02): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Minister, what is the government's approach to tobacco political donations and plain-packaging reforms? And how have these reforms been received?

Ms ROXON (Gellibrand—Minister for Health and Ageing) (15:02): I thank the member for Braddon for his question. I know he is very concerned about the health of the constituents in his electorate. Our party has a very firm stance on tobacco and a very firm stance on tobacco donations. Tobacco kills you, and we will do all we can to reduce its harm. Our party, the Labor Party, does not take donations from these companies that sell death. Seven years ago the Labor Party ceased taking donations from tobacco companies.

Next year plain-packaging reforms will begin, and our tobacco control measures will then be comprehensive—including anti-smoking ads, banning internet ads, an excise increase and nicotine patches on the PBS.

Mr Simpkins: Why don't you just ban tobacco!

Mr Schultz: It's a legal product!

Opposition members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Cowan. The member for Hume.

Ms ROXON: Members opposite who are interjecting might be interested to know that yesterday the Cancer Council released the most comprehensive study of the evidence ever published in Australia—24 targeted studies over the last two decades. And what they clearly show is that current packages dilute from the health warnings. It shows that packages has an impact on young people and their perception of cigarettes and those who smoke them.

It is for these reasons that it is not surprising that we have the support of doctors, of nurses, of the Cancer Council, of the Heart Foundation, of QUIT and many more.

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms ROXON: In fact, those who are interjecting might be interested to know that we have the support of a few Liberal Party members as well. Maybe somebody known to those opposite, the Liberal Premier of New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell, supports our reform. The New South Wales Liberal health minister, Jillian Skinner, supports our reform. The Liberal health minister in Victoria, David Davis, supports our reforms. Brendan Nelson, a former Liberal minister—not a health minister, but a doctor—and a former leader, supports our reforms. The member for Moore, a doctor and current member of the Liberal Party, and the member for O'Connor, support our reforms. But we have the Leader of the Opposition, a former health minister, who states:

… one cigarette, I am told, does you damage. But it does you so little damage.

Can you believe a health minister would say these sorts of things?

There are only four groups in the community that currently oppose our messages: British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris, the Liberal Party and the National Party—two tobacco companies, two political parties. And there is a reason that they are linked. I do not think I could put it any better than cartoonist David Rowe did in the Financial Reviewtoday, in his cartoon, 'Welcome to Abbott country. Enjoy the smooth taste of tobacco donations'! It is about time the Liberal Party stopped receiving donations from tobacco companies. It has been reported that the Leader of the Opposition is so worried about this that he has silenced his MPs from talking about it. That might be why the member for O'Connor, who has come out supporting our measures, explained that he is against the coalition's approach. He supports our measures, explaining: 'As you know, I'm a little bit different from the rest of the Nationals'. Well, he is certainly right about that.

It is time for Mr Abbott to quit his habit, to stop putting the money and donations before good public policy and to start supporting this measure. Kick the habit, Mr Abbott!

The SPEAKER: Before giving the call to the member for Forde, the member for New England is looking for his No. 10 which was pinched from his place.