Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

) ( ): I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) there are about three million Au stralians who still smoke; and

(b) tobacco is a le thal product, killing around 15 000 Australians every year; and

(2) calls on all Members and political parties to immediately stop accepting political donations from tobacco companies.

The Leader of the Opposition likes to say no. In fact, he is good at saying no—he is addicted to it. He should say no to political donations from tobacco companies. Why? Because three million Australians smoke tobacco. Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease among Australians, killing about 15,000 Australians a year. On average, the life expectancy of people who smoke is 10 years less than that of lifelong nonsmokers. Tobacco smoking not only causes diseases but impedes treatment. Smokers' wounds take longer to heal and they use hospital services more than nonsmokers. Second-hand smoke is a serious health hazard: it contains 250 toxic substances, some of which are in the worst categories of cancer-causing substances.

In 2008, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing estimated the social and economic cost of tobacco use to Australian society was $31.5 billion each year—and that includes of course the health costs. That is an increase of 50 per cent from the last estimate in 1998-99. That represents 56.2 per cent of the costs of all drug use—including alcohol, illicit drugs and tobacco. Research in the Medical Journal of Australia states that a fall of just over five per cent in smoking rates would save $4.5 billion to our national economy over the next 37 years. The smoking rate is much higher in Indigenous communities: one in two Indigenous Australians smoke and one in five will die from smoking related diseases.

The tobacco companies form a powerful, global cartel. They spend tens of millions of dollars annually on marketing and they employ highly skilled lobbyists and advertisers to maintain and increase tobacco use. Fortunately, unlike in many parts of the world, tobacco use is on the decline in Australia. Too often tobacco use is perceived to be solely a question of personal choice. The World Health Organisation tells us that tobacco users are aware of the health impacts and really want to quit.

The coalition parties are addicted to the political donations from tobacco. The Liberal and National parties have accepted a combined $3 million in donations from big tobacco, with more than $1.7 million of that coming after 2004 when, fortunately and bravely, the Australian Labor Party stopped accepting these poisonous donations. The Leader of the Opposition needs to kick his habit. As a former health minister, he knows that tobacco kills Australians each year and brings suffering to families across the country. Accepting donations from big tobacco is not acceptable given what we know about the dangerous nature of these substances. When will the Liberal and National parties stop defending big tobacco and start defending the health of Australians? When will they kick their habit of accepting money from those who manufacture these lethal substances? Why do they not give up on big tobacco? It is possibly because they are struggling to match the efforts of previous coalition administrations.

In 2009-10 British American Tobacco gave $130,385 to the national and state divisions of the Liberal Party, and $14,650 to the National Party—a total of $145,035 from British American Tobacco to the coalition. In 2009 Philip Morris gave $103,945 to the Liberal Party and $43,100 to the National Party—a total of $147,045. We know that big tobacco cannot be trusted with the facts.

This federal Labor government has acted on these matters. We have increased the tobacco excise by 25 per cent, we are restricting internet advertising of tobacco products and we are introducing mandatory plain packaging of tobacco products. This is supported by the Cancer Council, but, sadly, those opposite will not support it. We have launched the largest ever national tobacco campaign.

I say to the Leader of the Opposition: it is time to kick the habit. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: it is time to quit. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: it is time to stop the donations. We know that this is important. We know that smoking kills; it is as simple as that. Those opposite should have the courage of their convictions and stand up for the health of the Australian community and stop the donations.

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