Small ads running in the national press may have big implications for public health, as Robin Osborne reports…
National advertising placed by the Department of Health appears to suggest that the impacts of plain-packaging tobacco legislation on tobacco companies will outweigh the health benefits of making cigarette packs unappealing to present or potential smokers.
Seeking public input to a ‘post implementation review’ on the measure, introduced by Labor’s then-health minister Nicola Roxon, the ad advises that a consultant has been engaged to “inform an analysis of the material impacts of the tobacco plain packaging measure on stakeholders and, where possible, quantify the costs and benefits of the measure.”
To what extent the public – smokers or otherwise - are seen as ‘stakeholders’ is unclear. So is whether lessening the risk of lung cancer through repugnant imagery might qualify as a ‘material impact’.
Quantifying the ‘costs’ of the measure sounds ominous, too, while analysing the ‘benefits’ could be a challenge for plain-pack advocates, as the measures must be seen in conjunction with higher taxes and public health campaigns (largely dropped since the Abbott government moved to disband the Australian National Preventative Health Agency).
Even before the advent of the plain-pack law the tobacco companies have asserted that financial disadvantage would result from their inability to compete on package design (mindful of PR, they have always insisted they do not wish to recruit more smokers, especially the young).
One major furphy has been that smokers would turn to illegally made or imported cigarettes, said to be of a lower ‘quality’ than the branded products, and cheaper, meaning (so the companies say) that people will smoke more.
In fact, overall tobacco sales are trending downwards, and plain packaging is regarded by untainted analysts as a notable success – a number of other countries have either emulated the move or are looking into it.
“All interested members of the public are now invited to have their say and submit a response to inform the Post Implementation Review,” the ad reads.
What constitutes ‘the public’ is listed on the consultants', Siggins Miller, website which advises that stakeholders may include (listed in this order) tobacco industry representatives, tobacco wholesalers and retailers, tobacco product packaging manufacturers, and other parties.
Near the bottom of the list come public health experts and organisations, and the general public and consumers.
The consultation runs until 27 March 2015.
Australia’s plain packaging legislation was the trigger for a recent 18-minute segment on America’s ‘The Last Week Tonight’ show, featuring comic host John Oliver. The bitingly funny clip skewers tobacco companies for their selective use of data and legal judgments, and bullying tactics against small nations.
