Page 3907 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 October 1991
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MR BERRY (Minister for Health and Minister for Sport) (11.48): The speech I made in 1989 on World No Tobacco Day, which Mr Moore quoted, is as relevant today as it was then. The effects of the dreaded weed are well known and well documented. There is no need to dwell on that. We have to deal with the introduction by the Assembly of tighter tobacco-related laws in the ACT, and I am proud to have played a part in that.
The first Labor Government set up the first Health Promotion Fund in the ACT and moved quickly to commence the process of introducing tobacco laws. Regrettably - I must say that it was one of the things I was disappointed about - I was unable to introduce that legislation into the Assembly, because of the history of government in this Territory. However, I am happy that Mr Humphries, as the next Minister for Health, was an advocate of stronger laws against tobacco advertising in the ACT. Whether or not we agreed at all times on the process of introducing that legislation, I think that between us we ensured that a lot of pressure was exerted on tobacco sellers in the ACT as a result of the efforts of this Assembly.
It is a matter of fact that a piece of legislation was passed in this Assembly, with the approval of every last member of the Assembly, which provided for exemptions in advertising of tobacco products and for sponsorships. Those exemptions are very clear in the legislation. Nobody regrets more than I the need to provide those exemptions, but it is a matter of fact that tobacco sponsorship and tobacco advertising are sourced from outside the Territory. Events that are held to be important by the people of the Territory have sponsorship sourced from outside the Territory, such as the Winfield Cup, which has been referred to.
It is a great pity that Rothmans have been able to hold onto that sponsorship with the New South Wales Rugby League, as it is a great pity that the cigarette companies that are involved in these exemptions have been able to get their hooks into cricket. But those are matters of fact. They are issues this Government has had to deal with in the context of the legislation, which was passed with the approval of all the members of this Assembly. There has been no indication in the past that their attitude to those exemptions had changed. Indeed, they have accepted it wholeheartedly.
I think this is a sign of the season. We are approaching election time, and opportunities for bright young politicians are not plentiful. One has to go for what one can get. But this is the wrong one. Everybody knows that the members who are going crook about this exemption are the same members who supported the inclusion of exemption provisions in the legislation. It smells of hypocrisy, and it is entirely regrettable that we have had to take this course.
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