New Firm Position on Smoking

Published on July 20, 2009 4:09 AM

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Australia is preparing for a definitive attack on smokers with a packet of nominated measures that would push the cost of a single cigarette past and absolutely ban all tobacco advertising and sponsorships. More than three million Australians are currently considered to be smokers, argued researchers.

First of all tobacco products would come in plain packets covered by graphic health messages.

Federal law being considered follows a firm toughening of legislations in all states that include immediate penalties in Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales for drivers who light up with children in the car.

Anti-tobacco researchers plan to make Australia the "world's healthiest country".

Canberra is considering harsh measures contoured in the task force's discussion paper on smoking, which warned that if trends continued more than 14 percent of Australians would still be daily smokers by 2020 and remain at close to 10 percent well past 2070.

Statistics show that more than 900,000 people had been killed by tobacco since the dangers of smoking became known in 1950, and the social cost to the nation ran at more than $38 billion a year.

Researchers said that if the influence of smoking could be cut to 9 percent or less by 2020, smoking would continue to decrease until it disappeared from the horizon of the nation's major health issues.

This would require a dramatic reduction in the numbers of children taking up the habit and a doubling of the percentage of smokers trying to quit.

Among the severest moves is a proposed increase in excise and customs duty of more than 20 percent, pushing the price of a packet of 30 cigarettes above $20, and a crackdown on evasion of duties. Existing laws on tobacco advertising would be reached to cover new forms of media, and ban internet sales and tobacco displays in shops.

Federal laws already outlaw smoking in Commonwealth Government buildings, airports, aircraft and other public transport. These new anti-tobacco measures have to be implemented today not tomorrow because with over 300,000 hospitalizations each year from smoking related illness, smoking continues to be the single largest cause of preventable disease in Australia.