Tag: Health Policy
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Rethinking Australia’s tobacco revenue plunge
This post was written by Neil Francey, Research Affiliate, Sydney Health Law In an article in The Weekend Australian (13-14 September 2025), Associate Editor Eric Johnston argues that there should be a rethink of tobacco customs and excise duty, due to the scale of illicit trade in tobacco. Johnston’s piece was prompted by burnt-out tobacco…
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Could a national tobacco retail licensing scheme help to combat illicit tobacco in Australia?
High tobacco excise has fueled a costly black market, creating what one economist calls a ‘dumb trifecta’ of crime, poorer health, and lost revenue. With inconsistent state laws seemingly failing, this post explores if a single, national tobacco retail licensing scheme could be a more effective solution.
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Tracing Australia’s vaping controls back to source
The regulation of vaping and e-cigarettes in Australia underwent significant reform during 2023-2024. This post, prepared for health law students, traces some of the most significant reforms back to their legislative sources. Broad overview Australia’s regulatory framework for vaping has three components. First, vaping goods are regulated under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (Cth), under…
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Let guidelines be your guide: AHPRA and National Boards to reform cosmetic procedures sector
As the guidelines develop, it will be interesting to see how the regulator and Boards attempt to deal with the difficult problem of social media promotion in this very popular sector.
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Alcohol causes 3 million deaths each year. Eliminating conflicts of interest is vital to bringing this number down
Alcohol causes three million deaths each year, including 13.5% of deaths amongst those aged 20-39 years. But the personal and economic costs of alcohol-related harm are not met by the alcohol industry.
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Closing the Gap and health governance reform: a brief review
The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is an ambitious all-of-government framework for improving the health and welfare of Australia’s first nations peoples. This post briefly reviews the Agreement and considers its significance as an example of health governance reform.
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Freedom to protest, public health, and Covid-19
Update: the podcast of the event described below is now available, click here. Recently, a number of protests have taken place on the grounds of The University of Sydney against Commonwealth government education policies. See, for example, here (28 August) and here (14 October). During the latter protest, police were filmed throwing a demonstrator heavily onto…
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Post Covid: alcohol and the night time economy in the Sydney CBD
Sydney’s CBD has been bleak and empty the past few months, especially at night, but coronavirus restrictions in NSW are slowly easing. From 1 June, pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants can seat up to 50 customers (instead of the previous 10), provided businesses ensure social distancing of one person per 4 square metres, and no…
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Breastfeeding rooms in US federal buildings: who would have thought?!
Last year the US watered down a resolution of the World Health Assembly that would have called on States to “protect, promote and support breast-feeding”, and to provide technical support to “halt inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children”. A step too far, apparently, given the economic interests of US-domiciled formula companies. See…
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Why the media gets it wrong on obesity
“I’m not overweight”, writes columnist Katrina Grace Kelly in The Australian. “I’m just the helpless pawn of a vicious corporate conspiracy”. Amusing read, but it also illustrates why public health researchers are failing to cut-through with governments and the broader community on obesity. “The ‘obesogenic environment’ is the culprit here, apparently”, Kelly writes, referring to…
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What becomes of a country that cannot protect its young?
March for our lives, Washington DC, 24 March 2018 It’s too early to say if the grassroots social movement initiated by students who survived the gun massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida will be successful in nudging America’s gun laws in the direction of rationality and evidence. After killing 17…
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Upcoming events: The Food Governance Showcase
On Friday the 3rd of November, Sydney Health Law is co-hosting the Food Governance Showcase at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre. The Showcase will present new research from University of Sydney researchers and affiliates, examining the role of law, regulation and policy in creating a healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system. The Showcase…
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The Callinan inquiry into Sydney’s lock-out laws
A few questions came to mind when I read that former High Court Justice Ian Callinan had been appointed to head the independent inquiry into amendments to NSW’s liquor licensing laws, including the controversial lock-out laws”. Mr Callinan was a member of the High Court when it decided, by a 3:2 majority, that hoteliers owe…
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California raises the minimum purchase age for cigarettes and e-cigarettes
Last week was a big week for those who think the law should have a role in helping to reduce the 6 million deaths caused each year by tobacco. First, tobacco taxes In 2013, the Rudd government announced a 12.5% increase in the tobacco excise to take effect over 4 years: 1 Dec 2013; 1…
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A short review of the NSW Government’s “one-punch” alcohol control reforms
In February 2016, former High Court Justice the Hon. Ian Callinan AC QC was appointed by the NSW Government to review the effectiveness of the “lockouts” and the 3am liquor sales cessation period on the Sydney CBD entertainment precinct, the Kings Cross precinct, and potential displacement areas. Mr Callinan will also consider the impact of…
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Upcoming Conferences: Governing Food
Governing Food: The Role of Law, Regulation and Policy in Meeting 21st Century Challenges to the Food Supply Dates: Tuesday 1st November – Thursday 3rd November 2016 Venue: Sydney Law School Sydney Health Law is hosting the Governing Food Conference in November this year, in conjunction with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and with sponsorship…
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ABAC Complaints Panel won’t consider complaint about Diageo Australia spamming 3 year-old with Bundaberg Rum video-advert
It’s official. Spamming children with alcohol advertisements does not breach the ABAC Code, the alcohol industry’s swiss-cheese voluntary standard for alcohol advertising regulation. The Chief Adjudicator of the ABAC Complaints Panel has ruled that the Panel will not consider a complaint about Diageo Australia spamming a 3 year-old with a Bundaberg Rum video-advert when she…
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Dancing on Christopher Hitchens’ grave? The tricky business of talking about consequences
A “pro-smoking blogger for the libertarian right” accuses me of “dancing on Christopher Hitchens’ grave”. And other stuff. Christopher Snowdon is a Research Fellow for the UK-based Institute of Economic Affairs, a think tank that receives tobacco funding. He is an opponent of plain tobacco packaging, keeper of the pure flame of libertarianism etc. My sin…
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Bundaberg Rum and Dora the Explorer: the reality of alcohol advertising in Australia
My 3-year old daughter loves Dora the Explorer. She thinks that bossy little know-it-all, Dora, is really cool. She used to be frightened of The Swiper, but that changed as she grew older. Last night, I sat her down in front of a laptop and let her watch an episode of Dora on YouTube. Right…
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