Page 3740 - Week 12 - Thursday, 21 October 1993
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TOBACCO ACT - EXEMPTION
Paper and Ministerial Statement
MR BERRY (Deputy Chief Minister): Pursuant to section 6 of the Subordinate Laws Act, I present an exemption made pursuant to the Tobacco Act 1927. I ask for leave to make a short statement.
Leave granted.
MR BERRY: Madam Speaker, the exemption I refer to concerns the one-day cricket match between the Prime Minister's XI and the touring South African side. The match is scheduled for 2 December at Manuka Oval. Following representations from the Australian Cricket Board, via the ACT Cricket Association, I have agreed to provide an exemption from the application of sections 10 and 12 of the Tobacco Act for this one-day match.
Mr De Domenico: A good decision.
MR BERRY: I am not sure that I agree with you in relation to that. It is just a reality that we have to deal with. The decision to provide the exemption is not one I have taken lightly. I do not like providing those exemptions. I recognise that sponsorship of sport by tobacco companies is often simply a cynical exploitation of sportsmen and sportswomen. It is also a means of promoting tobacco products and of encouraging an environment in which the use of these products by young people is seen to be acceptable. In fact, what they are doing is trying to recruit young people.
However, I also recognise that this particular cricket match is an important event within the ACT sporting calendar, and not to provide an exemption would almost certainly deprive the Canberra community of the chance to view world-class cricket. It should also be pointed out that the new Federal legislation - this is most important - introduced by a Federal Labor Government and outlawing tobacco sponsorship of sport is intended to virtually eliminate such sponsorship for cricket by mid-1996.
Having carefully considered all of those issues, I have decided to provide an exemption, provided that certain conditions are met. These conditions are identical to those agreed to for last year's Prime Minister's XI match. They include limiting tobacco advertising to specified sizes and locations and displaying specified anti-smoking signs provided by the ACT Health Promotion Fund.
Exemptions under the Tobacco Act are disallowable instruments. I regret that, due to the timing of the exemption application, it has not been possible to provide more than three sitting days for a disallowance motion. The ACT Cricket Association has requested that this matter be resolved as a matter of urgency so that ticketing arrangements for the match may commence. I bring the matter to the Assembly's attention in the hope that full cooperation will be given to allow the event to proceed, subject to the stated conditions.
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