Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Greenway for her question. People might have heard the member for Greenway this morning talking about her earlier habit, as a young woman, of smoking and choosing the packet that was the most glamorous and the fact that she has been able to quit that habit and now is supporting the introduction of plain packaging—a world first. On World No Tobacco Day, it is an appropriate time to congratulate all those campaigners who for years and years have been calling on governments to take this action, and I am very proud to be part of a government that is taking this action.

I want to congratulate the Leader of the Opposition. I know he does not normally like listening to me here at the dispatch box but this might be an occasion when he does. I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition for finally declaring that he is going to do the right thing and that the Liberal Party will support this measure when it comes into the parliament. More importantly, I want to congratulate the member for Moore, the member for Hasluck and the member for Fairfax. There were many members on the Liberal Party backbench who finally brought the Leader of the Opposition to this position. It was against his instincts; his instincts were to say no. He did not want to do it, but he has been forced to do it by the weight of evidence that this is the right thing to do. I am pleased that the Leader of the Opposition has decided to support this measure, and I want to congratulate him for that. I do think, however, that on World No Tobacco Day there is a remaining habit that he needs to kick and that is a habit that goes to the receipt of tobacco donations. I report to the House that the AMA last week—

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