14th Jun 2006, 4:56 PM – Senate Motions - Health: Tobacco - Increase funding to anti-smoking

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Australian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison, which means it was unsuccessful.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) recognises that according to the recently released report, Counting the costs of tobacco and the benefits of reducing smoking prevalence in Victoria:

(i) the total social costs of smoking in Victoria in the 1998-99 financial year were approximately $5.05 billion,

(ii) of the total Victorian costs, approximately 45 per cent were avoidable,

(iii) as a result of Victorian smoking, federal smoking-attributable expenditures exceeded smoking attributable revenues by approximately $160 million in the 1998-99 financial year, and

(iv) under the most conservative method of estimation, the benefits of the reduction in smoking prevalence would be $2 034 million, or $10 291 for each person prevented from smoking by anti-smoking interventions; and

(b) calls on the Government to increase the proportion of smoking-related revenue that is allocated to anti-smoking interventions.