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“
Tobacco retailers are making a
last-minute push to gain further concessions and delay getting tobacco
out of sight in shops so they can go on pushing their deadly and
addictive product, says Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Australia. ASH criticised statements from the
Australian Convenience Stores Association (AACS) urging governments to
water down display bans, and to penalise children for buying tobacco. Said ASH Chief Executive Anne
Jones: “On the one hand these tobacco pushers want to keep
displaying tobacco in shops, and on the other they want children
criminalised for being sucked in by this tobacco advertising.” ASH criticised a report
commissioned by the AACS claiming compliance costs would cost jobs. “The report is a big recycled whinge about the costs of
putting display out of sight. “These costs are usually paid or subsidised by the tobacco
industry; and would be more than covered if retailers would agree to
pay a licence fee for selling tobacco, as alcohol sellers do. “Costs of tobacco display pale into insignificance compared
to the costs of tobacco to our health care system. “Claims in the AACS report of
business closures and job losses in “Similar claims have been put to
Australian governments in the lengthy consultation processes that led
to these laws being passed in most jurisdictions. They have been
rejected by governments after being comprehensively discredited by
independent research reviews. “Now the pushers are trying to
push open the back door at the last minute. “Health, child welfare, church,
parent and other organisations, along with the broad community, are
asking governments to stand firm for public health and child
protection against this transparently self-interested ploy.”
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Page last updated 13/11/09 |
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