24th Aug 2011 – Representatives Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011 - Second Reading - Read a second time

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a second time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through here. ) This means that the majority agree with the main idea of the bill.

One member of parliament, Nationals MP Tony Crook, rebelled and crossed the floor to vote 'aye' with the Government.(Read more about what it means to rebel in our FAQ Section. )

Background to the bill

The bill was introduced with the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 to amend the Trade Marks Act 1995(Read more about trade mark law in Australia here. ) to ensure "that regulations may be made in relation to the plain packaging of tobacco so that businesses are not prevented from registering new trade marks or from protecting trade marks against infringement".(Read more about the bill, including its explanatory memorandum and bills digest, here. ) If these two bills succeed, Australia will be the first country in the world to introduce plain packaging.(Read more about plain packaging here, and more about the government's reasons for introducing the bills here.)

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