Senate Committee gambles with public health as it holds a private meeting with Big Tobacco on illegal cigarette trade
The Heart Foundation is disappointed that a Senate Committee investigating the illegal tobacco trade 'invited the enemy into the war room' by meeting with tobacco industry representatives in private in Canberra yesterday.
The Senate Committee for the Illegal tobacco crisis in Australia held public hearings yesterday with one notable exception: an in-camera hearing with representatives from the tobacco industry.
Heart Foundation Chief Medical Adviser, Professor Garry Jennings, who presented in a public hearing to the Committee, said it was disappointing to see politicians overturn decades of protocol to keep the influence of Big Tobacco out of public policy discussions.
Big Tobacco will simply argue for a reduction in excise so it can sell more cigarettes legally. It has no interest in public health or safety, which is what this nuanced discussion is about. But, disappointingly, we have no way of knowing what they discussed with the Committee.
Professor Garry Jennings
Chief Medical Adviser
In Australia, around 1.8 million people smoke tobacco. Evidence shows that people who smoke are 250% more likely to have a heart attack and 200% more likely to have a stroke compared to non smokers.
"The Heart Foundation and other public health organisations have made it clear that Australia must continue with its current restrictions on the trade of tobacco, and continue to make it as unappealing as possible through a combination of community education and the price of cigarettes," Professor Jennings said.
"The rise in illegal tobacco is a concern and must be dealt with separately through better detection of imported product and enforcement of illegal sales."
Big Tobacco meeting undermines Australia's obligation to the world
In 2004, Australia was one of 168 signatories who agreed to uphold a World Health Organisation (WHO) treaty that would limit or prevent Big Tobacco - and anyone else with a commercial interest in tobacco - from being given a platform to influence public policy on tobacco control.
Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd said yesterday's Senate Committee hearing undermined this obligation and risked setting a harmful precedent.
"The treaty with the WHO exists because of Big Tobacco's strong history of trying to push cigarette sales despite the knowledge they cause grievous and expensive harm to public health," Mr Lloyd said.
"It is baffling that members of the Senate Committee would invite the enemy into the war room like this - and frankly, it's embarrassing on the world stage for Australia.
