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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-04-29 Daily Xml
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CIGARETTE SALES

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:18): My question is to the Minister for Health. Does the minister support the policy of his colleague and former health minister, the member for Little Para, that the use of children to catch retailers selling cigarettes to age smokers is entrapment, completely wrong, and inappropriate?

Last week a city shop owner was fined for selling cigarettes to an underage smoker, who it turned out was working undercover for the Rann government. The practice of using children was started in 1999 as a pilot program, with young volunteers receiving training, support and $50 gift vouchers to play the role of an underage smoker looking to buy cigarettes. However, where the retailer was found to breach the laws, he or she was cautioned. No fine was issued.

On 1 June 1999 the then shadow health minister, Lea Stevens, told the media that it was a case of inappropriate use of children and entrapped the retailer. Last week the health department confirmed that the practice continues, but that the government is issuing fines, instead of a caution—which has turned this from an education tool into a revenue-raising exercise.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:19): Oh, thank you so much for this question. Thank you so much, member for Unley, for putting this question to me. Firstly, just to correct the record: the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse is the responsible minister, not me, but I am delighted as the minister representing her in this place to take this question for her.

Let me explain the clear difference between this side of the house and the other side, between the Minister for Health and the shadow minister for education. We are implacably opposed to deli owners or any other small business person selling cigarettes to children. Got that? We are opposed to selling cigarettes to children and we are prepared to take action to ping those grubs who do so sell cigarettes. The difference is that the member for Unley is defending the right of a deli owner to sell cigarettes to children. That is what this is about. The member for Unley is standing up for the rights of a deli owner to sell cigarettes to underage children. That is what all this is about. Strip away the rhetoric, strip away everything else—it is about the member for Unley defending the right of deli owners to sell cigarettes to children.

I say, 'Shame on you, member for Unley; shame on you.' I say to the member for Unley that it is clear that the majority of your own side do not support you. They know how foolish you are being in relation to this matter. I also make the point that there is no other way we can know whether or not delis are behaving in the right way other than by using underage people to go into the shops to buy cigarettes. This policy was introduced by a former minister for health, the Hon. Dean Brown, in 2001.

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