Sporting comeback for cancer-sticks in Australia
The paper reports that a clause allowing tobacco brands to sponsor horse, motor and greyhound racing in New South Wales has been inserted into anti-tobacco legislation in the past two days. If the legislation is passed it will allow tobacco companies in NSW to circumvent federal law which does not ban sport sponsorship, but rather the advertising that promotes a brand's association with a sporting code. Horse or motor races, for example, could be named after specific brands, such as the Peter Jackson Stakes or given more generic titles such as the Imperial Tobacco Stakes.
The chief executive of the Cancer Council NSW, Andrew Penman, told the paper he was "gobsmacked" by the clause which would put Australia in breach of international conventions curtailing the marketing of tobacco and put NSW on a collision course with the federal Department of Health.
"How on earth did it find its way into legislation that purports to protect children from tobacco? Tobacco getting involved in glamorous sports does nothing to protect children," he said and added that public health groups would legally challenge a return to tobacco sponsorships.
There was confusion over whether the federal legislation would override the act. A federal health spokeswoman told the Herald, however, that the legislation would not be compromised by the NSW bill: "It would not appear to open any new avenues for tobacco advertising in connection with various sporting or racing activities."
A ban on ads for cigarette (cancer stick) brands at sporting events has been in force in Australia since 1992, although the formula one race was given an exemption until 2006.