Speech: Smoke-free Environments Bill, Instruction

Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill, Instruction to Committee
Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga
Wednesday 13 July 2011; 5.30pm

I move, that it be an instruction to the Committee of the whole House on the Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill that it have the authority to consider, and if it thinks fit adopt, the amendments in my name relating to the registration of tobacco sellers.

The reason that I am moving this point of order today, is very simple.

The Maori Party is absolutely committed to a Smokefree Aotearoa. We are committed to saving lives. We are committed to a healthy smokefree environment.

And so we are determined that we will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of comprehensive and effective solutions to create a Smokefree nation.

In January 2010, the New Zealand Medical Journal stated that the scale of harm from tobacco use in New Zealand has not been matched by appropriate government action to advance tobacco control.

George Thomson, Nick Wilson, and Richard Edwards
from the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, laid down the challenge fair and square, and I quote:

“New Zealand political parties now need to engage with the idea of the end of commercial tobacco sales in a finite and predictable timetable, rather than using small steps to control the tobacco epidemic”.

This point of order, is to ensure that our pathway towards becoming smokefree takes every contingency into account.

And so we want to broaden the debate today, to enable registration to be mandatory and a condition of selling tobacco.

The problem that my amendment seeks to address is that currently there is not a central list of tobacco retailers, and as a consequence all national estimates for the number of retailers vary widely.

In a letter I have seen today from Professor Richard Edwards, Dr George Homson, Professor Chris Cunningham, Dr Heather Gifford, Professor Janet Hoek and Stephanie Erick there is a clear message that with tobacco displays moved out of sight, there will be difficulties in identifying tobacco retailers.

And so their letter makes a very clear statement, which again I cite for the record.

“We see such a register as the minimum system necessary to enable health enforcement officers to effectively and efficiently do their job of working with retailers.

Furthermore such a register would help to keep track of the growing move by tobacco companies to market tobacco products through temporary outlets at festivals and other events”.

I want to make it explicitly clear – we are tremendously proud of the profile that the Maori Party and in particular Tariana Turia in her capacity as an Associate Minister of Health – have been able to achieve in the area of tobacco control.

The ongoing tobacco tax increases have triggered quitting and reduced tobacco consumption.

So our amendment today, is in many respects to supplement and strengthen the rapid progress that Tariana has been able to achieve in tobacco control in general and in this bill in specifically.

This is ground-breaking legislation to phase out tobacco retail displays; out of sight, out of mind.

But of course there is the catch 22 dilemma – that removing tobacco retail displays might lead to out of sight, out of scrutiny.

A mandatory register of all tobacco retailers is a perfect response to the declared need expressed by many health enforcement officers to keep track of retailers with complete and current data.

We understand that ASH – Action on Smoking and Health – is in full support of this amendment. There are four strong reasons underlying its support.

Mr Speaker, I am not someone who randomly stands in this House, putting forward points of order, and move motions for debate, to pass the time of day.

In fact in my entire parliamentary career to date, I think one would be hard-pressed to find evidence of more than a couple of points of order in my name.

But I have taken this action today, because the Maori Party is so committed to saving lives; to doing something about the 5000 people this country loses every year under the assault of tobacco harm.

We truly believe this measure is needed now and that this register will significantly enhance the efficiency and the implementation of the Smokefree Environment Amendment Bill. It should be debated now.

In closing, I return to the submission I quoted earlier from the University of Otago which stated that it is highly anomalous that anyone can set up as a retailer of tobacco products – given their highly hazardous and addictive nature – and in light of the continued evidence of widespread availability of tobacco products to children.

This motion – and the amendment it relates to, address this deficiency by requiring that at least health officials know who is selling tobacco through a register of tobacco retailers.

I implore the House to at least give consideration to debating these amendments at the Committee stage.

ENDS