THE federal government is building a war chest to fund legal action against corporate giants in the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries to defend plain packaging of cigarettes and cheaper medicines. The budget allocates an undisclosed amount of money to defend domestic and international legal campaigns brought by tobacco companies against the government's plain-packaging legislation for tobacco products, which began last December.
The budget does not disclose the amount available "to protect the Australian government's position in any litigation initiated by tobacco companies", but it allocates $3.1m in the next financial year for compliance and enforcement of the plain-packaging legislation. The government will conduct an awareness campaign to educate retailers about their responsibilities and also fund inspections of outlets such as supermarkets and tobacconists. The federal government is facing legal action in the High Court from tobacco companies seeking to reverse the plain-packaging legislation, but Health Department head Jane Halton said last week she took heart from the court's decision to reject the argument that cigarette brands were like Coca-Cola.
The tobacco companies have also been waging an FOI war against the department, which has cost the department tens of thousands of dollars as well as tying up human resources. Tobacco companies see the Australian legislation, the first of its kind in the world, as a test case that could pave the way for other countries to introduce similar restrictions. The budget also provides funding for the government to seek legal action from pharmaceutical companies for monies lost as a result of delays in listing generic drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, under which the government subsidises the cost of medicines.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий