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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3475 ..

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It has been conservatively estimated that the annual direct and indirect net costs of smoking to the ACT, based on our proportion of national costs, are in excess of $300 million.

For an individual, stopping or not starting to smoke will represent increased available income of about $35 or $40 a week. If a young person spends only half this amount, that still amounts to more than $900 a year that could be saved or re-channelled into other goods and services. If underaged smokers in the ACT are spending only $5 a week on cigarettes, that could represent well over a million dollars a year.

The exposure drafts tabled today are designed to provide constructive solutions to often difficult problems. It is imperative that the need for change be addressed in a way that will acknowledge both the needs of business and our commitment to public health.

Where the wording of legislation can be tightened up and made more clear, this has been proposed.

Where compliance strategies can be developed to assist retailers, these have been proposed.

Where better approaches to enforcement can be utilised, these have been proposed.

Where it is appropriate to adopt more stringent controls on advertising and promotion, these have been proposed.

In particular, the legislation aims to improve the present situation in several ways:

. Tobacco retailers will be provided with clearer requirements regarding their responsibilities in relation to not selling cigarettes to persons under the age of 18.

. Persons under the age of 18 will be deterred from attempting to purchase tobacco products, as an acceptable form of proof of age will normally be a prerequisite for such purchases.

. Persons under the age of 18 unaccompanied by adults will not have access to tobacco vending machines in licensed premises.

. Enforcement capacity will be enhanced and penalty options will be widened to include the linking of a retail tobacco licence with compliance with the Tobacco Act.

. A reduction in the number of tobacco sales points per retail outlet will reduce advertising exposure and increase retailers' ability to monitor tobacco sales.

. Clearer and more effective controls on tobacco advertising and promotion will help reduce children's exposure to tobacco advertising, while retaining point-of-sale product information for adult purchasers.

Mr Speaker, I am delighted to table these important amendments.

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