Catherine King

Catherine King

CATHERINE KING MP
Federal Member Ballarat
Shadow Minister Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development

T (03) 5338 8123
Email: Catherine.King.MP@aph.gov.au

Catherine King MP
<strong>Electorate Office</strong><br>5 Lydiard Street North<br>Ballarat, VIC 3350<br><br><strong>Bacchus Marsh</strong><br>(every Friday from 10am to 3pm)<br>Lerderderg Library<br>Geoffrey Hine Room<br>215 Main Street<br>Bacchus Marsh, VIC 3340

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Tuesday, 15 March 2016 / Published in MEDIA

LIBERAL AGILITY ON TOBACCO TAX

Labor notes reports the Liberal Party is set to back Labor’s world leading tobacco policy after yet another backflip, but is concerned it will be a watered down version.

It’s not good enough for the Coalition to support Labor’s plan on tobacco excise whilst still taking donations from big tobacco.

If the Government adopts a watered down version of Labor’s plan, it will be because they were lobbied by big tobacco.

When Labor unveiled our policy in November to continue the existing annual increases in tobacco excise for four more years, Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer dismissed the idea as “another tax-take”.

Health Minister Sussan Ley was even more scathing, dismissing it as “a grab for money, it’s a political statement and I don’t like it.”
ABC Insiders, 29th November 2015

This was despite the fact the minister strongly endorsed raising tobacco tax, when Malcolm Turnbull proposed this in his 2009 Budget reply speech.

“There is no doubt that one of the single biggest disincentives to smoking is the price of cigarettes ….  so it is a measure that I believe all sides of politics must support.”
Sussan Ley, Hansard, 1st June 2009

Each year in Australia, tobacco kills more than 15,000 people and has more than $31.5 billion in health and economic costs.

Labor would warmly welcome the Turnbull Government adopting our approach to tackling tobacco consumption which is both evidence-based and in line with international best practice.

Tagged under: 2016

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© Catherine King. Authorised by Catherine King, Australian Labor Party, Canberra

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