[Intl-tobacco] Australia: Tobacco ad review may filter puffed-up presence

[Robert Weissman]

Tobacco ad review may filter puffed-up presence

by Lawrie Zion
Source: The Age, 2002-06-01, via tobacco.org
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/05/31/1022569832850.html

The Australian film industry has reacted cautiously to a Federal
Government decision to review tobacco advertising prohibition
laws.

The review could result in restrictions on showing people smoking
in films, on television and on the Internet.

Trish Worth, parliamentary secretary to federal Health and Ageing
Minister Kay Patterson, said yesterday she wanted to ensure that
young people were not being influenced to take up smoking by
exposure to indirect forms of cigarette advertising.

Ideally, actors and producers would take a responsible position,
removing the need for legislation, she said.

"I sometimes wonder if they (actors) realise what kind of role
models they are," she said. 

"I know there's the argument that in real life people do smoke, but
now only 19.5 per cent of the Australian population smoke, so I'd
like to see real life on screen represent the four-fifths of the
population who are not smoking."

Australia was one of the first countries to ban tobacco
advertising. It was also one of the first to legislate to phase out
tobacco sponsorship of international sporting and cultural events
by 2006.

But Ms Worth said it was time to consider whether the laws were
still adequate.

The review will consider whether the legislation should be extended
to cover the Internet and emerging advertising and marketing
practices. One objective was to determine whether smoking was being
shown in Australian films and on television as part of a deliberate
product placement strategy by tobacco companies, Ms Worth said.

Australian Screen Directors Association head Richard Harris said
yesterday he would be very concerned about any steps to ban
cigarettes in films, but welcomed a discussion about whether
product placement was happening in Australia.

But Screen Producers Association of Australia chairman Nick Murray
said that as far as he knew, there was no product placement of
cigarettes in Australia.

"We don't think there should be any limitations placed on film
makers, particularly when the product theyre talking about is a
legal product," he said.

Richard Wiesel, partner and CEO of entertainment marketing and
product placement agency Norm Marshall and Associates Asia Pacific,
said his company would not represent a tobacco company, regardless
of whether it was legal or not.

"We are Hollywood's leading entertainment and marketing agency and,
if we're not doing it in the US, we're certainly not doing it in
Australia," he said.

Film critic Margaret Pomeranz said any restrictions on showing
smoking in films would amount to "another form of censorship".

"I'm not an advocate of censorship or political correctness in any
way," she said.