25th Oct 2010, 4:51 PM – Senate Tobacco Advertising

The majority supported a motion introduced by Greens Senator Rachel Siewert. Motions like these don't have any legal force but express the will (or opinion) of the Senate.

What was the motion?

That the Senate—

(a) notes that 30 September 2010 marked the 60th anniversary of the landmark 1950 report by Doll and Hill in the British Medical Journal identifying beyond doubt that smoking causes lung cancer;

(b) acknowledges that since then more than 960 000 Australians have died because they smoked and that given current rates our nation will reach the millionth Australian death from smoking in 2013;

(c) welcomes the introduction of further measures to tackle smoking related harm, including plain packaging and increased taxation measures and the formation of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency;

(d) raises concern that, despite legislation banning tobacco advertising, major tobacco companies funded and directed a $5 million advertising campaign to oppose plain packaging during the recent 2010 Federal election; and

(e) calls on the Government to introduce measures to restrict the ability of tobacco companies to engage in all forms of tobacco promotion, including direct and indirect advertising, advertising through third parties, public relations activities, lobbying activities and donations to political parties.