Plain ciggy packaging postponed

Big Tobacco gets more room to breathe within Labour’s generic cigarette pack legislation. Delays in the Senate push the market rollover to end-2012.

According to Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, the extra five-month grace period will give tobacco companies enough time to implement the changes put forward in the Bill.

“Marketing of tobacco will have a few last gasps next year, but this law will shortly stub it out for good.

“While I do not agree with the tobacco companies on most things, I think that it is important that industry gets a reasonable timeframe to make an orderly transition to plain packaging,” she says.

If the draft laws pass through the Senate next Thursday, it will mark the elimination of Big Tobacco’s last marketing channel in Australia. Due to the delay plain tobacco packaging will be compulsory by December 2012, instead of July.

Taking the extension into consideration, the Government will permit rounded corners to be used on the inside lip of cigarette packs.

It will be an offence to manufacture non-compliant packets for Australia from October 2012 (previously 20 May 2012). All tobacco products must be sold in plain packaging from 1 December 2012 (previously 1 July 2012).