[Intl-tobacco] Australia: Tobacco giants facing huge fines

[Robert Weissman]

TOBACCO GIANTS FACING HUGE FINES

Source: News Interactive Network/News Limited (au)
Date: 2002-11-20
Author: Krystyna Pollard
URL: http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5525788%255E1702,00.html
ID: 109052

TOBACCO giants would face million-dollar fines for breaching
advertising laws under changes to legislation by the NSW
government.

Health Minister Craig Knowles announced the government would
slap a $1 million fine on any company caught breaching ad laws,
with the money to be channelled into anti-smoking campaigns.

"I can advise that the relevant legislation will be amended to
increase the maximum penalty for manufacturers and distributors
who flout advertising legislation to $1 million," he told
parliament today.

"All such funds recovered will go back into cancer research."
 . .

"Philip Morris is not a corner shop, it is a multinational
company with billion dollar turnovers, it has deliberately
sought to circumvent both the spirit and the letter of our
advertising legislation," he said.

"We now have the precedent of an unambiguous win in the courts
and with vastly higher penalties, tobacco companies are clearly
on notice."