http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/2013/05/31/09/19/qld-govt-accused-of-i
nvesting-in-tobacco
Qld govt accused of investing in tobacco
9:16am May 31, 2013
The Heart Foundation has accused Queensland’s government of profiting
from tobacco while withdrawing smoking prevention programs.
On World Tobacco Day, the foundation says unlike other states,
Queensland continues to invest in tobacco companies through the
Queensland Investment Corporation.
Funding for a campaign to help people quit the habit was also cut in
last year’s state budget, Heart Foundation director Rachelle Foreman
says.
Public health staff dedicated to helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people quit smoking also lost their jobs, she added.
“This is a double standard and we’d like to see the Queensland
government investing in tobacco reduction,” Ms Foreman told AAP.
A spokesman for Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said Queensland had
allocated $1.9 million to a quit smoking hotline and was set to announce
$400,000 for an anti-smoking campaign aimed at young women.
He said the government was encouraging local councils to consider
smoking bans in more public places, and the minister hadn’t ruled out
further measures against smoking.
The Queensland Investment Corporation was not linked to the health
department, the spokesman added.
“We are very active in anti-tobacco campaigning and we’re going to
continue to be,” the spokesman told AAP.
C AAP 2013