Australian politician’s speech at tobacco conference in September allegedly in breach of WHO treaty

The Northern Territory independent MP Kezia Purick, pictured here in 2015, who was the first Australian politician to speak at a tobacco-industry funded conference in a decade. Photograph: Helen Davidson/The Guardian

An Australian politician spoke at the tobacco industry’s flagship conference in South Korea, despite the federal government developing reforms to address alarming rates of youth nicotine addiction.

It is the first time in more than a decade that a serving Australian politician has spoken at a tobacco industry-funded conference. Attending such events could breach a World Health Organization (WHO) treaty, to which Australia is a signatory.