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Politicians are responsible
for passing laws to effectively protect and improve public health,
save lives, and reduce the great burden of disease
and costs caused by tobacco products.
Despite these great legislative powers, smoking still remains the
single, largest preventable cause of death and disability in Australia.
It kills more
people than the COMBINED toll of all accidents including road accidents,
all other drugs including alcohol, and all homicide including suicide.
What
needs to be done?
Start by reading
our Politicians'
guide Updated
August 2011
What every MP and candidate should know
about our No. 1 preventable health problem and No. 1 drug issue.
Keep in touch with health/economic
priorities, and community attitudes.
Below:
LATEST NEWS from the
political front; some KEY ISSUES
in the fight against tobacco; information RESOURCES.
ASH Australia publishes (sometimes with other organisations) a series of
tobacco facts for MPs (Latest,
May 2011: plain packaging of tobacco) These are factsheets on the latest
health, legal and economic evidence to support our call for a smokefree
Australia by 2017. See
Health
groups' media release 5/9/07
Have a look also at the
misleading conduct by the tobacco companies - particularly how they
try to misinform and manipulate politicians.
One important note:
ASH Australia is strictly non-party political. We encourage all
parties and individuals to support anti-tobacco measures supported by
independent evidence and backed strongly by community
opinion.
LATEST
NEWS
see also our media
releases and
smokefree
workplace news
NSW bans tobacco, alcohol and gambling political donations
November 2010: NSW parliament has passed
legislation banning political donations from tobacco
companies, profit-driven liquor/ gambling businesses and
organisations. ASH has welcomed the legislation as an important step
forward. See NSW
Government release 11/11/10 ... ASH
submission 2009 ... ASH
federal campaign
Parties
urged: commit to plain packs, reject scare campaign
August 2010: Drug pushers spend $5m on
election lobbying against plain packaging of tobacco. ASH calls
for all parties to honour a government commitment to mandating plain
packs by July 2010. During the election campaign ASH also wrote to party leaders (see responses
below) calling for
commitment to:
Nine
steps to a tobacco-free Australia
In the leadup to Federal Elections on August 21, 2010, ASH sought commitment
from major party leaders to the ten policies below, in line with treaty obligations
and National Preventative Health Taskforcerecommendations:
1.
Further
tobacco tax increase by 2012 to increase price of average pack of 30 to $20;
2.
Abolish
duty-free tobacco sales and raise up to $200m pa in extra revenue;
3.
Increase
frequency, reach and intensity of counter-tobacco social marketing
campaigns - with particular emphasis on social disadvantage
and high-needs targets;
4.
End
all forms of tobacco advertising and promotion, including a ban on
internet sales;
5.
Eliminate
tobacco promotion in package design by honouring federal government
commitment to mandate plain packaging by July 2012 (see our factsheet
for MPs);
6.
Strengthen
smokefree places laws by ending exemptions in high roller gaming rooms;
7.
Substantially
improve content regulation and mandatory consumer information;
8.
Increase
availability of quitline services and evidence-based cessation aids; and
9.
End
organisational donations to political parties and candidates, cap
individual donations and electoral expenditure by parties and
candidates.
By
election date, the Greens responded here;
and the ALP here.
No response was received from the Liberal/National parties.
Taking
action against cancer: Why wouldn't you?
July 2010: Cancer Council NSW Saving
Life campaign - calling for smokefree dining, tobacco licensing and
other lifesaving measures - as they say, "Why wouldn't you"?
The video on the right-hand side includes comment on what needs doing
about tobacco - from ASH CEO Anne Jones OAM and anti-asbestos campaigner
Karen Banton (widow of Bernie).
Tobacco's
$31b drain on Australian economy
2008: Tobacco is responsible for more
than $31b a year in costs to the Australian community, says a new report
from the National Drug Strategy.
NTS
Monograph 66, summary report Costs
of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug abuse to Australian society in
2004/05
Tobacco is responsible
each year for:
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Around
15,000 deaths, including 36 aged under 15.
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56%
of total drug abuse costs - more than alcohol and all other drugs
combined.
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Over
$15b in workplace costs - double that of alcohol and all other
drugs combined.
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Over
$12b in crime costs - more than alcohol or any other drug.
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Over
750,000 hospital bed days - around 8% of them by children under 15.
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Over
$600m hospital costs.
Australians
want governments to act
2007: A new survey of public opinion
shows Australians more and more strongly support effective action to
stem tobacco use. See AMA/ACOSH
media release 16/10/07
Call for smokefree
future
2007: Leading health groups have called for Australia to become
effectively smokefree in ten years. It can be done - with the political
will. See Health
groups' media release 5/9/07
KEY ISSUES
see also our Politicians'
guide
-
Taxation and
funding of the
fight against tobacco. Australia has had a tax rise in April 2010
but needs another by 2010. funding of the fight against tobacco in
tghis country is very low - lower per capita than comparable
countries, lower than other less devastating health problems, and
much lower than the scale of the tobacco problem demands. measures
to reduce smoking are proven highly cost-effective. See
all the facts on tobacco
tax and realistic
funding
-
Protecting
children from tobacco - both secondhand smoke and promotion - is
a high priority. Talk of "nanny state" and smoking
being an "adult choice" is nonsense when most smokers
are already addicted before they turn 18. The community wants
children protected - with measures like licensing tobacco retailers and making
crowded public places smokefree. See
Protecting
children from tobacco
-
Smokefree
workplaces are still not universal and long overdue. We
need to support occupational health and safety consistently - and
reject lame excuses for making
an exception for toxic tobacco smoke. See
Smokefree
Australia workplace coalition site
RESOURCES
Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control
Australia has ratified this international treaty. See
summary of Governments'
responsibilities to the FCTC
Health effects of
smoking
See brief
summary (2007) from The Cancer Council NSW - and note that the
evidence is growing all the time!
Economics
of tobacco control
-
Sept
2004 study in Medical Journal of Australia says
reducing smoking rates could save a billion-dollar blowout in PBS
heart drug subsidies. See ASH/Heart
Foundation media release 5/9/04 See
study
abstract
-
June 2004
macroeconomic study by Junor et al, commissioned by Cancer Council
NSW, shows that tobacco prevention does not “penalise the poor”.
In fact, tobacco use hits poorest families hardest and well-designed
tobacco control strategies can benefit them most of all. See the
Junor et al (2004) study at www.cancercouncil.com.au/editorial.asp?pageid=1891
-
Major report summarising the
cost-effective evidence and reasons why governments need to commit
more funds to reduce smoking rates. Endorsed by major health and
medical groups, tobacco control is a blue
chip investment in public health, 2001
-
Refer to Tobaccopedia's
long list of economic reports
including the World Bank's call for more action by governments to
curb the tobacco epidemic.
Operation
Berkshire
Australian research revealing how
the international tobacco conspiracy
was formed, implemented and played
out in Australia to delay tobacco reform for decades.
Smuggling
Report
What MPs should know about tobacco smuggling, the involvement of the
tobacco industry and what needs to be done to reduce tax evasion and
illegal conduct.
Tobacco
Facts for MPs current factsheets
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PLAIN
PACKS: October 2010 - for Federal MPs
What is plain packaging and what will it do?; pack, image and target; impact on health warnings; perceptions of quality and
strength; meeting treaty obligations; tobacco industry
misinformation.
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SMOKEFREE
DINING: June 2010 - for NSW MPs
Why do we need a new smokefree dining law? Public health;
protecting children; OH&S; disability discrimination; treaty
obligation; trade impact; environment; quit support; public
support; compliance; liberty; more.
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SOCIAL
MARKETING: February 2010 - for Federal MPs
Why is it important?; impact on children; what works; return on
investment; how much is needed?; meeting our treaty obligations.
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...and
some of our vintage factsheets...
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October
2000 - smoking causes blindness
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May
2000 - smoking harms your sex life
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April
2000 - Economic myths of smoking
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March
2000 - women and smoking
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