Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I will refer you to the Senate inquiry, where Professor Coral Gartner, an international expert on tobacco controlled policy and the world's leading expert on e-cigarettes, said that there is no evidence to suggest that such measures would increase illicit tobacco. I see where you're going. She also pointed out that similar arguments were raised when plain packaging reforms were first proposed. That would have been 12 years ago when the then minister, Nicola Roxon, brought it in. We saw this same argument on illegal tobacco and the illegal black market brought in to bring about a fear campaign when the complete focus of this bill is on plain packaging. It is also about the care and concern for the health of Australians.