Gory message for smokers

2004-06-25 09:18

Sydney - Australia's government decided on Friday to cover most of the outside of cigarette packages with graphic images showing the physical damage caused by smoking.

But Prime Minister John Howard's cabinet drew criticism for agreeing that the warnings - carrying grisly images of diseased body parts - would cover just one-third of the front of a packets and 90 percent of the back rather than a 50/50 front-back split sought by health groups.

Health Minister Tony Abbott said regulations would soon be introduced requiring tobacco companies to begin including the new warnings on cigarette packets within 18 months - a delay sought by the industry.

He rejected charges the government had caved in to tobacco firms, which fought to limit the warnings to one-third of the front of cigarette packets.

"This means that a total of 60% of the primary surface areas of cigarette packets will be taken up by health warnings," Abbott said after the cabinet meeting.

"One side of the packaging will also have printed health warnings," he said, adding that the total surface area taken up by the warnings would be much greater, and the graphic warnings much bigger, than under the alternative 50/50 proposal.

A Treasury discussion paper released in February proposed 14 picture-based warnings for placement on cigarette packets, but left it up to cabinet to decide on the distribution of the images.

Health and anti-smoking groups condemned Friday's decision, saying research showed a bigger warning on the front of cigarette packs was crucial to getting the message across.

Trademark rights

Tobacco companies counter that warnings covering half the front and half the back of packets would infringe their trademark rights by reducing the size of their brand name markings.

The Cancer Council of Australia called the government's decision to side with the tobacco industry on the matter "disappointing and unwarranted".

"While we commend the government for embracing the need for graphic warnings, the concessions to the tobacco industry of smaller warnings on the front of cigarette packs and delaying their introduction is a bad decision," council chief Alan Coates said.

"Reducing the warnings on the front of packs to 30% and delaying their introduction will mean fewer Australians quitting and as a result fewer lives being saved," he said in a statement.

More than 19 000 Australians die from smoking-related cancer each year, according to the Cancer Council.

Australia had been examining changes to tobacco health warnings since 2001, with health groups complaining that existing text warnings on packages were losing their effect.

- AFP