2010/09: Should Australia ban branding on cigarette packages?
Video clip at right: a commercial TV news spot recorded the week of the federal government's announcement of the tobacco tax / excise increase and the move to legislate for plain packaging
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What they said...
'There can be no justification for allowing any form of promotion for this uniquely dangerous and addictive product which it is illegal to sell to children'
The National Preventative Health Taskforce
'Attempts to introduce plain packaging into Australia ... [attack] a legitimate commercial business selling a legal product'
British American Tobacco (Australia)
The issue at a glance
On April 29, 2010, the Australian federal government announced that Australia would become the world's first country to ban logos and branding on cigarette packets.
Under proposed new laws, from 2012 cigarettes will be sold in plain, standardised packages carrying large, graphic warnings against smoking, while the brand name will only appear in small print.
On April 29, 2010, the government also raised taxes on cigarettes by 25 percent. The proceeds from the increased tax will be directed toward health care.