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House of Representatives Health and Ageing
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Preliminary pages
Foreword
This advisory report marks the culmination of consideration
of the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 and the Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco
Plain Packaging) Bill 2011 by the House of Representatives Standing Committee
on Health and Ageing.
The decision of the House of Representatives Selection
Committee to refer these bills to the Health and Ageing Committee provided an
opportunity to consider the potential health impacts of the legislation
separately and in detail. However, much of the debate surrounding these bills
relates to economic or legal issues, and their impact on the tobacco industry.
While these issues are noted in the report, the Committee considers them to be
beyond its remit. For this reason, commentary in the report is largely confined
to the health-related aspects of the proposed legislation.
With the focus on the health-related aspects, the main issue
for the Committee to consider was whether there is sufficient evidence to
indicate that tobacco plain packaging will improve health outcomes by further
reducing tobacco use. While noting disagreement from those representing the
tobacco industry, overwhelmingly public health advocates and preventive health
experts expressed the view that the evidence to support plain packaging as an
effective tobacco control measure is sufficiently robust to proceed with the
legislation. Importantly, submitters and witnesses emphasised that tobacco
plain packaging should not be considered in isolation. Rather it should be
considered as one measure with the potential to contribute to a suite of
tobacco control measures already in place such as increased excise, indoor and
outdoor smoking bans, increased access to nicotine replacement therapies and
continued education about the harmful effects of tobacco.
Tragically, smoking accounts for over 15,000 premature
deaths in Australia each year. It is the single largest cause of preventable
morbidity and mortality. Although Australia has made significant progress in
reducing tobacco use over the last two decades, and has shown itself to be a
world leader in this regard, this is no room for complacency. Australia needs
to continue to innovate if it is to maintain the momentum and decrease tobacco
use further. By supporting passage of the proposed tobacco plain packaging
legislation, Australia will once again be in a position to take the lead in the
implementation of progressive tobacco control measures, a role it has willingly
taken in the past. As Chair of the Health and Ageing Committee, and with a
focus on health outcomes for the population, I provide my complete support for
the proposed tobacco plain packaging legislation.
Steve Georganas MP
Chair
Membership of the Committee
Chair
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Mr Steve Georganas MP
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Deputy
Chair
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Mr Steve Irons MP
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Members
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Mr Mark Coulton MP
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Ms Deb O’Neill MP
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Ms Jill Hall MP
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Mr Ken Wyatt MP
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Mr Geoff Lyons MP
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Committee Secretariat
Secretary
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Dr Alison Clegg
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Inquiry
Secretary
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Mr Muzammil Ali
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Senior
Research Officer
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Mr Shane Armstrong
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Research
Officer
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Ms Belynda Zolotto
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Administrative
Officers
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Mr Shaun Rowe
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Ms Kane Moir
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Terms of Reference
On 7 July 2011, the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 and
the Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011 were referred to
the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing by the
House of Representatives Selection Committee.
The Bill and explanatory memorandum are available at:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=haa/./billtobaccopackage/index.htm
List of Abbreviations
COAG
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Council of Australian Governments
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DoHA
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Department of Health and Ageing
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OECD
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Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
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TBT
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Agreement on Technical Barriers
to Trade
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TRIPS
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World Trade Organisation
Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of International Property Rights
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WHO FCTC
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World Health Organisation
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
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List of Recommendations
Recommendation 1 |
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The Committee recommends that the House of Representatives
pass the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011. (Para 1.61) |
Recommendation 2 |
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The Committee recommends that the House of Representatives
pass the Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011. (Para 1.62) |
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