Delayed passage of Tobacco Advertising Bill just highlights Roxon’s hypocrisy

February 9, 2012

Today’s passage of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Amendment Bill, more than 15 months after it was introduced to Parliament just demonstrates the hypocrisy of Labor on tobacco control.

“For all of Minister Roxon’s talk on reducing the incidence of smoking in Australia, I’m surprised this bill’s passage was delayed for so long” Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare, Andrew Southcott said today.

“If the previous Minister had spent as much time focussing on her legislative program as she did bagging the Opposition, the Tobacco Advertising Bill which was introduced into Parliament in 2010, may have passed before 2012.”

“This was a bill supported by the Coalition. It just seems incredible that a bill supported by all parties has taken 15 months to pass the Parliament.”
The Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Amendment Bill was introduced into the House of Representatives on 17 November 2010 more than 15 months ago, but only passed the parliament today.

In comparison, the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bills were introduced on 6 July 2011, and passed the parliament less than 5 months later.

“For a piece of legislation which, according to Nicola Roxon was an ‘important step in reaching the benchmarks set under the COAG National Healthcare Agreement’, the Minster was clearly not interested in ensuring the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Amendment Bill passed through the parliament swiftly.”

“It has long been a bipartisan commitment to reduce the incidence of smoking in Australia below 10%, but if the previous Minister for Health was as serious about tobacco control as she made out, she will explain why this bill took so long to pass.”