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See also from our homepage, under
various issues - e.g. smokefree places, protecting children, plain
packaging, political donations (etc).
Latest NEWS
INTERNATIONAL LAW
WHO
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
World Health Organisation treaty to address all areas of tobacco
impacts. Australia has ratified it, among
hundreds of countries. Above link has links to full treaty text and
implementation guidelines for specific articles. FCTC
summary and using the guidelines
As
with any other treaty, the FCTC confers legal obligations on its Parties
– including Australia. We are obliged to:
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Protect
public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of
the tobacco industry
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Adopt
price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco
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Protect
people from exposure to tobacco smoke
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Regulate
the contents of tobacco products
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Regulate
tobacco product disclosures
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Regulate
the packaging and labelling of tobacco products
-
Warn
people about the dangers of tobacco
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Ban
tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
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Offer
people help to end their addictions to tobacco
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Control
the illicit trade in tobacco products
-
Ban
sales to and by minors
AUSTRALIAN LAW
See our homepage
for specific areas of legislation
- e.g. smokefree workplaces (below), and under TAKING ACTION: protecting
children, smokefree places, smoking and fires.
Australian Federal legislation on tobacco
Commonwealth tobacco laws as at
2008 in Tobacco
in Australia: Facts and Issues
States and territories
Jurisdictions'
webpages for current tobacco laws and (some) government tobacco action
plans/strategies:
ACT
NSW
NT
Queensland
SA
Tasmania
Victoria
WA
Legislation on SMOKEFREE WORKPLACES:
See SmokeFree
Australia webpage with chart of current state/territory laws and
links.
Legislation on PROTECTING CHILDREN
FROM TOBACCO:
See latest
steps taken by governments to:
- put tobacco out of sight in shops;
- prevent children buying or selling
it;
- license its dealers;
- ban or restrict tobacco sales at
youth events or from vending
machines; and
- make public and private places
frequented by children smokefree
Packet health
warnings Current
Australian legislation and warnings
Compliance enforcement guidelines
Trying to draft good anti-tobacco laws, ensure maximum compliance with
them, or improve weak legislation so it's more enforceable? See this
guide to the basics by Healthbridge called Enforcement
of tobacco control law
NEWS
Tobacco smuggling faces tougher
penalties
November 2012: Act passed by Federal parliament toughens penalties -
smugglers face up to ten years jail under newly created offence. Legislation
Bill tightens tobacco internet
advertising loopholes
February 2012: ASH and health leaders
have welcomed Senate passage (7/2/12) of amendments to the Tobacco
Advertising Prohibition Act to brings restrictions on tobacco
advertising on the internet into line with other media and physical
points of sale. ASH
media release 9/2/12 and Legislation
Australian laws should get tough on
tobacco industry: lawyer
2011: Australia
should introduce far-reaching corruption and racketeering laws to fight
"dirty tactics" of tobacco companies, says
Slater and Gordon senior partner Peter Gordon. NineMSN
17/11/11
Plain packs bill passed
2011: Australia's tobacco plain
packaging bills are passed by Parliament in November. The law takes full effect by
December 1, 2012. Philip Morris has taken legal action as threatened, though seen by
independent legal experts as unlikely to succeed.
The legislation and latest on Plain
packaging
US
tobacco control bill passes
2009: The US House of
Representatives has given overwhelming final approval to a bill granting
the Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority over tobacco.
This long-awaited bill now goes to President Obama to sign it into law.
See US
Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids statement
Tobacco's
heartland moves towards smokefree bars, restaurants
2009: The tobacco industry's birthplace state moves closer
to making its bars and restaurants indoor-smokefree. Virginia legislature
passes law tightly restricting smoking in restaurants. 23 other states and Puerto Rico
had already outlawed indoor bar and restaurant smoking. See
Richmond,
Virginia Times-Despatch report 20/2/09
Victoria
beefs up evidence laws after McCabe case
2005: The Victorian Government promises new laws outlawing
intentional destruction of documents to prevent them being used as
evidence in
court. Followed McCabe v BATA case - terminal lung
cancer victim unsuccessfully sued tobacco giant. ABC
News 9/11/05
See this case in Tobacco
litigation
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