TOBACCO PLAIN PACKAGING TO BECOME LAW, INDUSTRY REACTS
The Senate is expected to pass the Federal Government’s plain packaging laws for cigarettes today but British American Tobacco Australia has vowed to fight the changes.
The packaging laws would ban the use of company logos and require all cigarette packets to be a dark green colour. The new packs would be dominated by graphic health warnings with brand name and variant printed in a standard size and font.
Labour senator John Faulkner is reported to have said that a key objective of plain packaging is to stop children being attracted to cigarettes.
“If this legislation stops one young Australian from picking up a shiny, coloured packet and prevents them becoming addicted to cigarettes then in my view it will have been worthwhile,” Senator Faulkner told the upper house on Wednesday.
But Scott McIntyre, British American Tobacco Australia's (BATA) regional communications manager, has told B&T removing pack’s branding could drive prices down and make them more accessible to young people.
“There are three major players in the Australian tobacco market [BATA, Philip Morris and Imperial Tobacco] and we want people to choose our product,” McIntyre said.
“We can’t advertise, so the branding is the only way of differentiating between packets of cigarettes. You take away that, then you’re left with price.
“So prices are likely to go down making tobacco more accessible to young people, which is what the government is trying to stop.”
The Coalition supports the main plain packaging legislation but plans to vote against the associated changes to trademark laws.
However, both bills could pass the Senate with the support of the Greens. The legislation passed the House of Representatives in late August.
McIntyre has said that BATA would have no choice but to fight it out in court if the government pushed ahead with the legislation.
“Australia has had a history of being over regulated with tobacco and it has gotten to the point with plain packaging where they’re actually trying to take away our intellectual property which they wouldn’t do to another brand,” McIntyre said.
“If I was working at one of the fast food chains or a big soft drink company in the same sort of role, I’d be thinking ‘we’re next’, because the government has already started to experiment with health warnings on alcohol.”
If the legislation passes, Australia would be the first country in the world to pass legislation stripping cigarette packets of their branding. The laws would see all tobacco sold in the green packaging from December 2012.
The packaging laws would ban the use of company logos and require all cigarette packets to be a dark green colour. The new packs would be dominated by graphic health warnings with brand name and variant printed in a standard size and font.
Labour senator John Faulkner is reported to have said that a key objective of plain packaging is to stop children being attracted to cigarettes.
“If this legislation stops one young Australian from picking up a shiny, coloured packet and prevents them becoming addicted to cigarettes then in my view it will have been worthwhile,” Senator Faulkner told the upper house on Wednesday.
But Scott McIntyre, British American Tobacco Australia's (BATA) regional communications manager, has told B&T removing pack’s branding could drive prices down and make them more accessible to young people.
“There are three major players in the Australian tobacco market [BATA, Philip Morris and Imperial Tobacco] and we want people to choose our product,” McIntyre said.
“We can’t advertise, so the branding is the only way of differentiating between packets of cigarettes. You take away that, then you’re left with price.
“So prices are likely to go down making tobacco more accessible to young people, which is what the government is trying to stop.”
The Coalition supports the main plain packaging legislation but plans to vote against the associated changes to trademark laws.
However, both bills could pass the Senate with the support of the Greens. The legislation passed the House of Representatives in late August.
McIntyre has said that BATA would have no choice but to fight it out in court if the government pushed ahead with the legislation.
“Australia has had a history of being over regulated with tobacco and it has gotten to the point with plain packaging where they’re actually trying to take away our intellectual property which they wouldn’t do to another brand,” McIntyre said.
“If I was working at one of the fast food chains or a big soft drink company in the same sort of role, I’d be thinking ‘we’re next’, because the government has already started to experiment with health warnings on alcohol.”
If the legislation passes, Australia would be the first country in the world to pass legislation stripping cigarette packets of their branding. The laws would see all tobacco sold in the green packaging from December 2012.
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