By Alex Bourne
Our Government will wait to see how the World Trade Organisation will respond to Australia's move to force plain packaging of cigarettes before it decides if it will follow suit.
From the first of December, all tobacco products and cigarettes in Australia will be sold in packaging without branding or logos.
“The next generation of young people in Australia will not be exposed to glossy, seductive tobacco packaging,” says Kylie Lindorff of Cancer Council Australia.
Two thousand Kiwis under 10 try smoking each year
Australia's highest court has endorsed a ban on all brand marketing and promotional logos on tobacco packaging, clearing the way for the government to make it law.
“The industry have put all their resources in the packaging itself when all over avenues of advertising have been shut down, they know this has an impact, so this is a great outcome for public health,” says Ms Lindorff.
Tobacco companies claimed that introducing plain packaging would be unconstitutional but the High Court disagreed, giving the green light for plain packaging, and also ordering the companies to pay the Australian government's legal bills.
But tobacco companies aren't giving up yet. They will take their case to the World Trade Organisation to challenge plain packaging.
And if the WTO finds against Australia it may have to pay billions in compensation.
“It's time for the tobacco companies to get on with implementation and stop trying to challenge this measure further in our international courts,” says attorney-general Nicol Roxon.
Australia has set a precedent and our trade minister says he's backing the country's move.
“We back them 100 percent because of the issue, it’s an outrageous thing for these companies to be using the WTO as a back door attack on Australia,” says Trade Minister Tim Groser.
But Mr Groser admits he'll be keeping a keen eye on the WTO case, the outcome of which will heavily influence our Government's position.
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