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.
The Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) annual conference was held in Seoul from 19 to 21 September, with British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands and the vaping company Juul Labs among its sponsors.
The Northern Territory independent MP Kezia Purick attended the conference, which serves as a key networking event for the tobacco and nicotine industry, and spoke on a panel about industry regulation.
The panel was moderated by consultant and former public affairs manager to the tobacco company Philip Morris International, David Bertram. Other panellists included the UK Tory MP Adam Afriyie and trade law expert Marina Foltea.
Delegates pay upwards of $7,000 to attend, depending on the package bought, which included access to plenaries, panel sessions and networking events. Delegates had to be a representative of the tobacco and vapour/nicotine industries or a related stakeholder.
Since 2003, Australia has been a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international, evidence-based treaty which means the government must protect its policies from interference from the tobacco industry and its interests.
Among many clauses, the FCTC states that government consultation with the tobacco industry should be limited to measures needed for public officials or agencies to enact effective tobacco control; and that partnerships with the tobacco industry should be rejected. It applies to federal, state and territory governments.
Guardian Australia put a series of questions to Purick, including who paid for her attendance, what was covered as part of any sponsorship to attend, what her response is to allegations her attendance breaches the FCTC and whether she met with tobacco, vaping and nicotine industry representatives.
Purick did not answer all of the questions, responding only that Guardian Australia’s “ … interest in an Independent member’s activities from a small jurisdiction is flattering”.
“My trip to South Korea has been recorded on the Members’ Register of Interest as the cost surpassed the $300 level for gifts/donations and gratuities,” she said.
The NT register of interests will next be tabled in March 2024, with the last update available online from March 2023.
The Northern Territory chief minister, Natasha Fyles, did not respond to requests for comment.
Purick is the former speaker of the Northern Territory parliament, resigning from the position in 2020 after the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) found that in her attempt to create a new political party, Purick had “engaged in a series of acts, each of which was corrupt conduct, because each was serious breach of public trust”.
Purick rejected the findings at the time, saying she had not been “afforded natural justice or procedural fairness” by Icac. She sued Icac over the findings, and an out-of-court settlement was reached in 2021.
Simon Chapman, a tobacco control expert and professor of public health, said the responses from Purick about her attendance at the GTNF were inadequate.
“There ought to be a consequence for those who openly give the bird to Australia’s obligations to an international treaty,” Chapman alleged. “Any politician attending would be in flagrant breach of Australia having signed and ratified the FCTC.”
The Australian government’s outline of the obligations public agencies and officials hold under the FCTC states that if any meetings with the tobacco industry are deemed necessary for the development of public policy, then “any consultations should wherever possible be public (unless prohibited at law), accountable and transparent”.
“Do not agree to side meetings or accept invitations to social events or hospitality, such as offers for lunch, product or gifts,” the outline says. “Do not engage in any interaction that creates the perception of partnership or cooperation.”
The Albanese government announced in May that it would outlaw the importation of non-prescription vaping products, with products containing nicotine alongside those labelled as nicotine-free to be banned from general import and sale.
Ongoing meetings are being held between the federal, state and territory health ministers to discuss the technical details of new legislation, with a date for the start of the reforms yet to be set.
The federal health minister, Mark Butler, was contacted for comment.
