World No Tobacco day 31 May 2013

Every year on 31 May the World Health Organisation (WHO) and colleagues around the world highlight the health risks of tobacco and advocate for the end of tobacco consumption with World No Tobacco day.

The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2013 is: ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

The WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been signed by 176 nations, and covers more than 85% of the world’s population. Parties to the FCTC agree to comprehensive bans of all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship within five years of the effective date of the agreement.

Sponsorship bans remove the deceptive and misleading nature of tobacco marketing campaigns and block exposure to tobacco marketing, particularly youth exposure. Banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is a particularly cost effective way of reducing the demand for tobacco, which is why the tobacco industry consistently attempts to thwart those bans.

WA State Election 9 March

With the state election looming, ACOSH is advocating for six priorities for tobacco control in Western Australia:

• Strengthening and enforcing point of sale legislation, including an end to price boards

• Strong enforcement of legislation prohibiting sales to minors

• Adequate funding for mass media campaigns

• Banning all remaining forms of tobacco advertising and promotion

• Increased support to address smoking in disadvantaged communities and groups

• Phasing in a reduction of tobacco licenses

Future Fund divests from tobacco

The Australian Government Future Fund announced on 28 February 2013 that it is joining the governments of the ACT, NSW, SA and other funds, including HESTA, First State Super and Uni Super in divesting from tobacco stock.

“The Board noted tobacco’s very particular characteristics including its damaging health effects, addictive properties and that there is no safe level of consumption. As a result the Board determined that in this instance it is appropriate to exclude primary tobacco product manufacturers.”   Chair David Gonski AC

City of Perth goes smoke free

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi and Perth City Council took the lead in the West by introducing new smoking bans in major outdoor shopping malls – Hay and Murray Street and Forrest Place. Click here for more information.
The new restrictions are a positive step forward to protect the community, especially young people, from exposure to secondhand smoke. The City of Perth is the first council to introduce smoking bans in pedestrian shopping malls. We hope to see other councils follow!

Newly-elected Melbourne City Councillor Richard Foster created a stir earlier this year when he proposed introducing some of the world’s strongest smoking bans. His proposal involved banning smoking in all public places across Melbourne CBD, including Bourke Street, City Square, outdoor dining, outside office blocks and even on footpaths. Victoria has lagged behind other states and territories when it comes to smoke free legislation. A good start for Victoria could be making all outdoor dining and drinking areas, entrances and exits to buildings and shopping malls smoke free. Click here for more information.

Western Australia releases its Health Promotion Strategic Framework 2012-2016 and re-commits to making smoking history

Western Australia released its Health Promotion Strategic Framework 2012-2016 in January 2013 and outlined the state’s priorities for tobacco control, which include:

•     Continue the efforts to drive down smoking rates in the community

•     Eliminate exposure to tobacco smoke in places where the health of others can be affected

Strategic directions include healthy policies, legislation and regulation, economic interventions, supportive environments, public awareness and engagement and community development. Click here to view the full report.

What does the Australian Government plan to do in the next 5 years to combat smoking?

In early January 2013 the Federal Government released the National Tobacco Control Strategy 2012-2018 and its nine-point plan to further reduce the burden of smoking in Australia. The plan includes strategies to regulate the flavour and ingredients of cigarettes, further increase the cost of tobacco, limit the number of tobacco retailers, force tobacco companies to reveal how much they spend on marketing, regulations to censor smoking in the film, TV and music industries and much more.

For more information on the Federal Government’s plan to combat smoking in Australia click here to view the full report.

Death Clock reinstated

Western Australia’s ‘Death Clock’ has been resurrected, 25 years after the original controversial clock was put up in Perth. The sign, funded by a collaboration between ACOSH, Smarter than Smoking, Cancer Council WA and the Heart Foundation, is situated on the Heart Foundation building on the corner of Heytesbury and Rokeby Road in Subiaco. The ‘Death Clock’ will tally the number of deaths caused by smoking over the year, and display a number of health messages. Smoking still causes 15,000 deaths in Australia every year, including 1200 in Western Australia.

Heart Foundation chief executive Maurice Swanson reiterated that there is no room for complacency. “More than 60 years after definitive evidence that smoking kills, 250,000 West Australians still smoke so we have to keep finding different ways of presenting the message that smoking kills,” he said.

High Court rejects legal challenge to plain packs

Australia's High Court rejects four tobacco giants' legal challenge to plain pack laws, ruling the legislation is not unconstitutional. Companies ordered to pay government's costs. Newly manufactured packs must comply by 1st October, all non-compliant packs to be off shelves by 1st December. Health leaders welcome decision as victory for public health against industry's aggressive, deceptive scare campaign.

First State Super to exclude tobacco from all investment portfolio funds

First State Super, one of Australia's largest super funds, announced that it has excluded investments in all companies involved in the manufacture of cigarettes and other tobacco products from its entire investment portfolio.

The CEO of First State Super, Mr. Michael Dwyer AM, said: " The Trustee Board decided to extend the exclusion of tobacco investments across all our portfolios following strong feedback from health employers and those working in health services who represent 40% of our total membership of 770,000 members."

Idea of a tobacco ban for those born this century

An opinion piece written by Cameron Nolan in the Sydney Morning Herald asks readers to envisage a way of freeing Australia of cigarettes forever. The idea was first introduced in 2010 by a group of Singaporean oncologists as a research paper in an academic journal. It involves giving the government a mandate that cigarettes could only be sold to a person over 18, and who was born before the year 2000 with the impression that this would gradually phase out cigarettes in Australia by forever prohibiting their sale to the next generation.

This proposal balances the rights of existing smokers and the need to protect children born in this century from the dangerous effects of tobacco addiction. The Tasmanian Health Minister, Michelle O'Byrne, has deemed the proposal worthy of serious consideration for the state. Tasmania currently has the second highest smoking rate in Australia.

Melbourne Airport to clamp down on smokers

Melbourne Airport is set to clamp down on smokers who ignore the no-smoking signs and continue to smoke around doorways making it unpleasant for people entering and leaving the terminals. It is an unwelcome ggreeting for travellers being forced to walk through a wall of cigarette smoke to get in and out of terminals.

The current smoking areas will be reviewed and changes will be announced in the next three months. Airport management are being urged to enforce smoking rules as stringently as they issue parking fines.