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MEDIA RELEASE
NICK XENOPHON M.L.C. INDEPENDENT NO POKIES MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 16
March 2005
GOVT’S
ACTIONS ON SCREEN SMOKING ARE: EXTRA MILD ·
Call for SA Government to
force tobacco companies to cough-up for cinema anti-smoking ads Two
years after the idea was first pushed for by No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon to have
anti-smoking ads screened in SA cinemas and to have them paid for by tobacco
companies, the State Government has finally begun the game of catch up. “During
the tobacco legislation debate in Parliament last year the Government knocked
down my amendment to have these sort of commercials made a legal requirement to
proceed any film that contained smoking and to have these ads paid for by
tobacco manufacturers”. “It
really is a case of the Government taking an ‘extra-mild’ approach to
countering the messages put out by the predatory and exploitative tobacco
industry, whose product placement in movies encourages kids to take up
smoking.” Mr
Xenophon referred to a Philip Morris marketing plan, which said: “We
believe that most of the strong, positive images for cigarettes and smoking are
created by cinemas and television. We
have seen the heroes smoking in “Wall Street”, “Crocodile Mr.
Xenophon said: “The
tobacco industry exploits teenagers who take up smoking as a result of seeing
their screen idols light up” “If the Government recognises the need to counter these smoking messages then they must agree that it should not be left to the taxpayer to foot the bill – it should be left to the tobacco companies who are actually responsible for, or benefit from, the pro-smoking message in some movies in the first place”.
Written and authorised by Nick Xenophon, 653 Lower North East Road, Paradise, SA 5075
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