Big Tobacco shows the way for Australia’s Coal and Nuclear Lobbies

Australia’s Institute of Public Affairs does a fine job of fronting for the “Free Market No Regulation” philosophy of big corporations. Tobacco, for example, as THE AGE reports today.

You might wonder “Who cares, if Australia puts cigarette packets into plain colours?” Well, Big Tobacco cares. They devoted most of their recent international convention in Uruguay to Australia’s proposed new law on cigarette packaging. Not that they care too much about Australia’s relatively tiny market. It’s just that they know that this law would be effective in lessening the attraction of kids towards cigarettes – and heck, China or India might notice, and follow Australia’s lead.

As the Age reports, the Alliance of Australian Retailers, The Civic Group, and the IPA all front for the Tobacco Industry. And it’s good practice for the fossil fuel and nuclear industries to follow suit. – Christina Macpherson

Former Turnbull adviser heads tobacco laws fight, THE AGE, Melissa Fyfe, 5 June 11 A FORMER Liberal staff member and adviser to Malcolm Turnbull is spearheading a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to help the tobacco industry fight the federal government’s plain packaging reforms. Mr Turnbull’s former press secretary Tony Barry is believed to be earning more than $20,000 a month lobbying Liberal MPs and crossbenchers against the tobacco reforms. Mr Barry is working for the Alliance of Australian Retailers, a front-group funded by the big three tobacco companies.

Mr Barry’s new job comes as his former employer, the Melbourne-based Institute of Public Affairs, refused to confirm whether it receives donations from big tobacco. The institute’s researchers have been vocal in their defence of the tobacco industry’s right to maintain brands on packets…..

Mr Barry’s retainer is understood to be much less than that of the Civic Group, which Philip Morris last year paid $200,000 a month to help manage the alliance. ………..The [Liberal] party has received $3 million from Philip Morris and British American Tobacco since 1998. Labor, which refuses money from the tobacco industry, has been criticising the opposition for its reliance on donations from big tobacco.Staff from both sides of politics have joined big tobacco in recent years.Last year, Ozan Ibrisim left his job as an adviser to then health minister Daniel Andrews to work for Philip Morris. Former Howard chief-of-staff Grahame Morris also lobbies for Philip Morris, while the firm Jackson Wells, which has Labor and Liberal connections, represents Imperial Tobacco.

June 5, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, secrets and lies | secrets and lies

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Australian news, and some related international items