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Smokers face $20 cigarette packs

Posted July 5, 2009 11:42:00
Updated July 5, 2009 11:37:00

The Government is being urged to slash smoking rates by 9 per cent over the next decade.

The Government is being urged to slash smoking rates to 9 per cent within a decade. (Reuters: Charles Platiau, file photo)

The Cancer Council says it would welcome any proposal for an increase in the price of cigarettes.

The Federal Government is currently analysing a series of recommendations aimed at reducing smoking rates put forward by the National Preventative Health Taskforce.

Newspaper reports say the yet-to-be-released recommendations suggest increasing the tax on cigarettes to more than $20 a packet and a move to plain packaging.

Cancer Council Australia chief executive Professor Ian Olver says increasing tobacco prices is the best way to reduce smoking rates.

"If you put up the price by 10 per cent per pack, you can actually drive down a country's smoking rate by 4 per cent, which is an enormous impact on health care," he said.

"But Australia has been lagging behind over many years in increasing that price."

The taskforce has urged the Government to slash smoking rates over the next decade to 9 per cent.

It believes the price rise could convince 306,000 adults to quit and prevent 183,000 children from eventually taking up the habit.

Alarmed tobacco companies claim the measures could be unlawful.

Under the changes, cigarette packets would be generic and plain with larger graphic health warnings taking up about 90 per cent of the front and 100 per cent of the back.

Newspaper reports say tobacco companies also face a blanket ban on all sponsorship, internet sales, public relations activities and corporate responsibility donations.

- ABC/AAP

Tags: federal-government, tax, smoking, australia

Australia Votes 2010

76 needed to form government

The Negotiations

State of the Parties

76 seats required for victory

90.2% counted.
Updated Fri Sep 3 03:02AM
Party % Vote Swing Won Predict
Labor 38.1 -5.3 72
Coalition 43.7 +1.6 73
Greens 11.6 +3.8 1
Others 6.6 -0.1 4

Changing Seats

90.2% counted.
Last updated Fri Sep 3 03:02AM
Time Count % Electorate Held By Margin 2PP % Swing Predict
14:37 93.5 La Trobe L/NP 0.5 50.9 1.4% to ALP ALP GAIN
10:06 86.5 McEwen L/NP 0.0 55.4 5.4% to ALP ALP GAIN
16:37 88.5 Solomon ALP 0.2 51.9 2.0% to CLP CLP GAIN
14:37 81.2 Melbourne ALP 4.7 55.6 10.3% to GRN GRN GAIN
16:38 93.8 Denison ALP 15.3 51.2 16.5% from ALP IND GAIN
17:07 90.3 Bennelong ALP 1.4 53.6 5.0% to LIB LIB GAIN
19:08 91.5 Gilmore * ALP 0.4 55.2 5.6% to LIB LIB WIN
11:23 92.7 Hasluck ALP 0.8 50.6 1.4% to LIB LIB GAIN
16:37 92.0 Macarthur * ALP 0.5 53.0 3.5% to LIB LIB WIN
11:23 92.5 Macquarie ALP 0.3 51.2 1.5% to LIB LIB GAIN
18:54 90.3 Swan * ALP 0.3 52.6 2.8% to LIB LIB WIN
16:53 91.5 Bonner ALP 4.5 52.6 7.1% to LNP LNP GAIN
19:24 88.4 Brisbane ALP 4.6 51.1 5.7% to LNP LNP GAIN
16:52 92.1 Dawson ALP 2.6 52.4 5.0% to LNP LNP GAIN
12:51 93.7 Dickson * ALP 0.8 55.2 5.9% to LNP LNP WIN
15:37 89.6 Flynn ALP 2.2 53.2 5.4% to LNP LNP GAIN
11:21 90.6 Forde ALP 3.4 51.6 4.9% to LNP LNP GAIN
15:22 92.2 Herbert * ALP 0.0 52.1 2.1% to LNP LNP WIN
17:23 90.2 Leichhardt ALP 4.1 54.5 8.6% to LNP LNP GAIN
16:37 92.0 Longman ALP 1.9 51.9 3.8% to LNP LNP GAIN

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Election Live

76 needed to form government

90.2% counted.
Updated Fri Sep 3 03:02AM
Party % Vote Swing Won Predict
Labor 38.1 -5.3 72
Coalition 43.7 +1.6 73
Greens 11.6 +3.8 1
Others 6.6 -0.1 4

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Changing Seats
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