Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

None of us want our children to take up the habit of smoking. That is why this parliament is behind the plain packaging legislation. Big tobacco has obviously been very vengeful with this government about its moves to support plain packaging. We have seen that over the last few days. The Liberal Party needs to make a turnaround on plain packaging of cigarettes and after much huffing and puffing they have decided to come on board. But they need to escape from the clutches of big tobacco, who help fill their party coffers. It is inevitable that they will kick the habit of taking money from tobacco companies. The Labor Party announced in 2004 it would on principle not take money from big tobacco, and no-one has received a dollar, including the current health minister, since. The Liberal Party by contrast—the member for Higgins should know this—has received more than $2.1 million from big tobacco. And that does not include donations to individual electorate campaigns under the disclosable limit of $10,000. Since Russell Crowe's masterful film The Insider, big tobacco has not dared give donations and try to influence other democratic countries. But in Australia big tobacco gives 97 per cent of its donations to the Liberal and National parties sitting over there. They are guilty, that is why they are squealing. And they would not give it in any other country.

Mr Tudge interjecting—

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The members to my left are reminded that the member has a right to be heard in silence.

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nothing illustrates the stink of tobacco that haunts the Liberal Party than the unanswered questions about the member for Indi's donations via a group in 2007 called Friends of Indi. Friends of Indi failed to lodge a financial return for two years, 2005-07, keeping its receipts and donations secret. It was not until British American Tobacco lodged its returns that the Friends of Indi's cover was blown. Two receipts were received by the AEC in 2005-06 from British American Tobacco, with the value of $7,500 each, to Friends of Indi. The member for Indi, and member of the shadow ministry, was a direct beneficiary of donations made to the Friends of Indi including this $15,000 donation from British American Tobacco. It was not the first time that she has received such donations. In 2004-05 she received $5,000 from British American Tobacco. Only last year Friends of Indi received $35,000, although the AEC notes in its current returns:

No individual receipts were declared by this associated entity.

The member for Warringah is increasingly isolated on this issue. Even the state Liberal parties are coming around to banning donations from the tobacco industry. In 2008 research published by the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health showed that approximately 61 per cent of smokers and 78 per cent of non-smokers were against political parties accepting donations from the tobacco industry. Western Australian Liberal Premier, Colin Barnett, has stated his opposition to tobacco donations. It is time that Mr Abbott and the Liberal Party gave up this river of gold from the tobacco companies. About 20 per cent of Australians are currently addicted to cigarettes. The total cost of drug abuse of this particular form—tobacco—is $55 billion. The cost of tobacco addiction is a great big tax on all Australians, one that Mr Abbott does not seem to care about. It seems that the member for Warringah will not be parting company with big tobacco. Last April he asked directly whether he would stop taking donations from the tobacco industry. He said:

It is legal to smoke. It is not the mafia. I do not see why, if they want to make a donation, that we should not accept it.

So long as he takes this line, the stink of the tobacco lobby will cling to the Liberal Party. I notice the shadow minister for health, Mr Dutton, is extremely uncomfortable with these allegations. I think he is an honourable man. I think it is inevitable that the Liberal Party will eventually catch up with the government and ban donations from big tobacco. I think it is very instructive that this is the only country in the world where major donations are made from big tobacco to a major political party. The Liberal National party should wake up and get rid of this awful influence on its political perspective.