Extract from The Guardian
How can the UK Australia Day Foundation call a tobacco lobbyist an
‘inspirational role model’? The award is a disgrace and should be
revoked
Thousands
of Australians work in the UK as doctors, nurses and scientists,
devoting their lives to preventing death and treating the sick. Yet this
year the “UK Australian of the Year” award has gone to lobbyist Lynton
Crosby whose companies have a long track record of working for “big tobacco”, and companies such as British American Tobacco and Philip Morris in both Australia and the UK.
The record is unequivocal. Crosby has lobbied against measures such as plain packaging which aim to prevent uptake of smoking by children and reduce smoking by adults. His tobacco lobbying attracted widespread public criticism in the UK.
Crosby’s award was presented at a gala ceremony at Australia House on the basis of his “achievements in the year”, his “ongoing contribution to the Australia/UK community” and “being an inspirational role model”. He was awarded for his role in running the Conservative party’s election campaign, which saw the party re-elected in March.
It would be hard to think of a more inappropriate selection. Crosby and his tobacco paymasters know that tobacco causes six million deaths around the world each year. Authoritative Australian research shows that smoking is likely to cause the deaths of two-thirds of current smokers. Plain packaging, and the other measures against which tobacco companies lobby, are lifesavers. By contrast, anybody who works for tobacco companies knows that if they succeed more people will likely die from cancer, heart disease and a galaxy of other conditions.
Far from being an “inspirational role model”, in my view Crosby’s work with “big tobacco” displays an absence of any ethical radar or concern for the public’s health. He is undoubtedly an accomplished lobbyist, but he is a role model only to those who are willing to promote a lethal product.
As a result of our comprehensive approach, Australia leads the world in reducing smoking, which is falling in adults and children – to the extent that now just 81,000 adolescents around the country are regular smokers. Tobacco consumption has fallen more than 18% since plain packaging was implemented three years ago. Every worthwhile measure that contributed to this decline has been fiercely opposed by the tobacco industry and its lobbyists.
As tobacco companies are losing business in developed countries, they are constantly trying to turn back the tide, finding new ways of promoting smoking, harassing health groups, and creating new markets in developing countries. They have known for several decades that their product is lethal when used precisely as intended, yet these merchants of death are also spending more and more on PR, legal and lobbying tactics in desperate efforts to win battles they can never win in the court of public opinion. And make no mistake: they are indeed desperate; they are aggressive; and lobbying is one of their most important strategies.
While the companies themselves merit all the opprobrium they get, their lobbyists, front groups and other fellow-travellers are equally culpable. They too know that their work promotes a lethal industry and a lethal product – let alone opposing the policies of both UK and Australian governments, as well as the World Health Organisation and innumerable other health authorities.
Who knows what the UK Australia Day Foundation Board were thinking when they decided to honour a tobacco lobbyist? Did they consider for a nanosecond the kind of signals this award sends out? Do they really think that promoting the interests of global tobacco companies is “an ongoing contribution to the community”? Their decision is an embarrassment and a disgrace. The award should be revoked.
The record is unequivocal. Crosby has lobbied against measures such as plain packaging which aim to prevent uptake of smoking by children and reduce smoking by adults. His tobacco lobbying attracted widespread public criticism in the UK.
Crosby’s award was presented at a gala ceremony at Australia House on the basis of his “achievements in the year”, his “ongoing contribution to the Australia/UK community” and “being an inspirational role model”. He was awarded for his role in running the Conservative party’s election campaign, which saw the party re-elected in March.
It would be hard to think of a more inappropriate selection. Crosby and his tobacco paymasters know that tobacco causes six million deaths around the world each year. Authoritative Australian research shows that smoking is likely to cause the deaths of two-thirds of current smokers. Plain packaging, and the other measures against which tobacco companies lobby, are lifesavers. By contrast, anybody who works for tobacco companies knows that if they succeed more people will likely die from cancer, heart disease and a galaxy of other conditions.
Far from being an “inspirational role model”, in my view Crosby’s work with “big tobacco” displays an absence of any ethical radar or concern for the public’s health. He is undoubtedly an accomplished lobbyist, but he is a role model only to those who are willing to promote a lethal product.
As a result of our comprehensive approach, Australia leads the world in reducing smoking, which is falling in adults and children – to the extent that now just 81,000 adolescents around the country are regular smokers. Tobacco consumption has fallen more than 18% since plain packaging was implemented three years ago. Every worthwhile measure that contributed to this decline has been fiercely opposed by the tobacco industry and its lobbyists.
As tobacco companies are losing business in developed countries, they are constantly trying to turn back the tide, finding new ways of promoting smoking, harassing health groups, and creating new markets in developing countries. They have known for several decades that their product is lethal when used precisely as intended, yet these merchants of death are also spending more and more on PR, legal and lobbying tactics in desperate efforts to win battles they can never win in the court of public opinion. And make no mistake: they are indeed desperate; they are aggressive; and lobbying is one of their most important strategies.
While the companies themselves merit all the opprobrium they get, their lobbyists, front groups and other fellow-travellers are equally culpable. They too know that their work promotes a lethal industry and a lethal product – let alone opposing the policies of both UK and Australian governments, as well as the World Health Organisation and innumerable other health authorities.
Who knows what the UK Australia Day Foundation Board were thinking when they decided to honour a tobacco lobbyist? Did they consider for a nanosecond the kind of signals this award sends out? Do they really think that promoting the interests of global tobacco companies is “an ongoing contribution to the community”? Their decision is an embarrassment and a disgrace. The award should be revoked.
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