CALL FOR CARLA TO RESIGN
The Non-Smokers' Movement continued its 1999 campaign to name tobacco company executives for what they are - deadly drug pushers, by way of a street march and demonstration outside Carla Zampatti's fashion boutique in Elizabeth Street Sydney on 31 May 1999.
The President of NSMA, Brian McBride, called on Carla Zampatti to resign from her position as a director of cigarette company, Rothmans, makers of a leading brand Winfield which makes a major contribution to the 18,000 death toll in Australia. He challenged her to follow the lead of her boss, Mr Gary Krelle, Chairman of Rothmans, who has gone on the record to say that he does not know of any proof that smoking causes health damage.
Alternatively, she could explain that that she is only in it for the money, if that is the case.

Fashion Parade with a difference
The protesters conducted a mock fashion parade featuring a smoking pregnant mother-to-be representing those unfortunate women who are so enslaved to nicotine that they cannot quit even when they know the well being of their unborn child depends on it.


Protesters Outside Zampatti's Store
Also featured were life-size walking cigarette packets of the Windfailed, lungreach, and Rotmans brands all tastefully designed and coloured to a standard that Carla would have been proud of. Each packet was labelled truthfully with their major death targets including, 10,000 heart, 5,000 lung cancer, 3,000 emphysema, 23,000 babies and 45,000 asthmatic children.
Brian McBride said this was a continuation of the campaign to get up close and personal with these cigarette company directors. He challenged Carla to debate her right to promote the world's greatest cause of preventable death and disease and still expect to be treated as a respectable member of the community. We intend to show them up for what they are and we call on the public to boycott their products and businesses, he said.

Help to break financial addiction
A collection was taken up for Carla Zampatti to help her break loose from the financial addiction to nicotine drug money. We attempted to go into her shop to deliver the money and explain that she should not feel too bad about accepting it because we realise the extreme difficulty of withdrawing from dependence on drug money. One has only to look at the years of servile addiction to cigarette revenue exhibited by our Federal and State politicians to realise that once you are hooked you really are a captive of the tobacco industry and become incapable of seeing the harm they are doing.
However the doors were locked and when we asked through the intercom to come in and speak to Carla we were told that she was away in Paris, with husband ex-MP for North Sydney, John Spender, now Ambassador to France. We then asked to speak to the Manager and were told to go to the head office in Kent Street. On arriving there we were told that the manager had just left and they did not know when she would be back. How predictable!

Only 28 Stores to go.
We were disappointed not to get any response from the Zampatti organisation. After all, we have made these people rich and famous by buying their products and supporting them as Australians in the international arena, only to find that they repay us by promoting death and disease to our children and our neighbour's children. I wonder if Carla ever stood up at a Rothman's Board meeting and asked about the lack of any health warnings on the cigarettes her company is selling into the developing countries which are our neighbours. I wonder if she ever expressed any concern for the 30% of pregnant women who smoke right through their terms and bring another unhealthy baby into the world. We will keep trying to get answers from Carla by conducting demonstrations outside her remaining 28 stores. Each one should be bigger and louder than the previous ones until we get all our questions answered.

Doctors Speak up Against Directors.
Dr. Arthur Chesterfield-Evans and Dr. Jean Lennane both addressed the rally to add their calls for Carla Zampatti o resign from her position promoting harmful drugs. They emphasised that the bans on advertising have not eliminated "advertising" of cigarettes, it has merely changed it to a more insidious form.

Dr Chesterfield-Evans Addresses Rally

The Tobacco Boards, of which Carla and Nick Greiner are part, sanction the strategies of paying actors to smoke in films and TV productions and thus con impressionable teenagers into thinking it is cool to smoke. They promote the concept of including smoking in video song clips etc. to reach the young market. Anyone involved in these effective strategies to get young people hooked on nicotine is doing a great disservice to this country and should be publicly brought to account.

Fed up with celebrity drug pushers
Brian McBride told the assembled crowd that the community is fed up with people like Sir Roden Cutler who has dishonoured the office of Governor of NSW by joining the drug pushers on the Rothman's Board. We are particularly fed up with the likes of Nick Greiner who has dishonoured the office of Premier of NSW by trading on the respectability of that role to become the Chairman of WD & HO Wills where he admits that cigarettes kill people but when pressed he excuses himself on the grounds that he is only "lightly" into hypocrisy. The fact is the tobacco industry just buys up celebrities like these people to give itself credibility and respectability and hence to con young people into a life of drug addiction. These people are either willing pawns in the drug marketing game or they are so uninformed that they don't know the facts. Either way they should be held accountable for the damage their actions are doing to the health fabric of the nation.

Fashion feeds folly
There is no doubt the fashion world has been infiltrated by the tobacco industry as another ingenious way of promoting their deadly product. Despite the threat to women's health from smoking, many famous models including Elle Macpherson, Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista appear to promote smoking in the same way that actors have been used to promote smoking in films.

In fact our life-size walking cigarette packets used in this rally displayed these beautiful women with photos from magazines showing disgusting filthy cigars hanging out of their mouths. Like most other cigarette advertising this is another giant con on the public. In fact these models rarely smoke cigars and they do it only as a highly paid marketing exercise to con other impressionable young girls into smoking in the hope that they will opt for cigarettes, which they can afford, as opposed to cigars which they can't afford. It is the smart marketers like Greiner and Zampatti who know that young girls are particularly vulnerable as many use smoking in a misguided attempt to control their weight and the trend is compounded by fashion models smoking in photo shoots, parades and magazines. Good one, Nick and Carla, you are doing great work for the future health of our youth! You deserve every piece of silver they thrust into your outstretched hands.

NSMA Members March Through Sydney Streets Rally

Media coverage
Although Carla Zampatti was out of town we proceeded with this event because it was part of the "World No Tobacco Day" activities which are held on 31 May. The media coverage included the Channel Ten evening news, three Sydney radio interviews, some interstate radio, plus items in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph. The coverage would have been greater if the media could have contacted Carla to get her response, so we look forward to that happening on the next occasion. Anyone wishing to take part in the next protest should contact our office for details.

Action Point 1.
Write to Carla zampatti, 435 Kent Street, Sydney, 2000. Ask her whether she is aware that cigarettes kill 18,000 Australians every year and that her duty as a Director of Rothmans is to work for increased profit by increasing this death toll. Advise her that you have signed the enclosed pledge indicating that neither you nor any member of your family will buy from her stores while she remains a Director of a tobacco company.

Action Point 2
Make sure you at least sign the enclosed form calling for her resignation and post it to her at the address shown (or back to us).

LET'S PROMOTE THE 25 METRE RULE
Anyone attending the children's hospital at Westmead, NSW, will notice large signs at the entrance doors saying, "SMOKING PROHIBITED WITHIN 25 METRES OF THIS SIGN". This is a sensible move to combat that increasing problem of smokers moving one metre outside a non-smoking building and then proceeding to congregate in little groups to light-up and pollute the entrance ways with clouds of stinking acrid fumes which everyone else must endure to get in or out of the building.

The Non-Smokers' Movement has picked up this initiative and is trying to promote it as a standard approach to solving some of the outdoor smoking dilemma. We have followed up specific complaints about this problem at the entrances to the maternity wing of the Nepean District Hospital. At a meeting with hospital authorities on 18 June 1999 we gave them photos of the Westmead signs and they agreed to raise the issue with the Board. We will also campaign for the Department of Health to adopt this approach at all hospitals. The Nepean staff told us they think the Department is even looking at bringing in total bans on the Hospital sites. After all if it is good enough to force football fans to go outside the gates to smoke at either Sydney or Melbourne sports venues why should it be a problem for a hospital to impose such bans. This is the preferred solution and we will try to arrange an interview with the new NSW Health Minister, The Hon. Craig Knowles, to pursue this matter.

Brian McBride & NSMA Secretary, Jenny Sanders with Faye Lo Po, MP for Penrith.

NEED FOR LEGISLATION ON SIGNAGE
NSMA attended a meeting with the local Member for Penrith, Faye Lo Po, to enlist her support for the above Nepean Hospital proposal. At the same time we took the opportunity to advise her of our broader concerns on smoking issues. In particular, we requested her to raise within the Government the problem of no effective enforcement of the "NO SMOKING" signs now widely displayed in shopping centres and other public venues.

We used the local Penrith Plaza shopping centre as a prime example. During our half hour stopover for a cup of coffee in this non smoking centre we had to speak to no less than four smokers who lit up in our area regardless of the signs. They are quick to comply, for the moment, but it will not stop them lighting up again when we are out of sight or when they return to the centre next time.

The problem simply is that centre managements say they have no legal right to enforce the signs - they can only ask for peoples' co-operation. We know this is not strictly correct and that managements can use the existing 1983 Occupational Health & Safety Act as legal enforcement but this is too obscure and complicated for most of them. It would be much simpler and more easily understood by all concerned if all such signage was backed up with a "Penalty $200" type provision in the laws of the State. The Minister has agreed to look into it.

SMOKING AND TENNIS
With Wimbledon underway again it is timely to report on Brian McBride's ongoing fight with the Parramatta Baulkham Hills Tennis Club about smoking around the precincts of the courts. It seems Brian's chances of getting re-instated voluntarily by the Committee are about equal to his chances of playing at Wimbledon. He attended an open management meeting on 19 June in a conciliatory frame of mind hoping for a full and open discussion of his concerns. He wanted to point out that smoking around the players was not only damaging his health but was particularly dangerous for the dozen or more pre-school age children also subjected to passive smoking in the same corridor area between the courts where Brian wants a ban imposed. The uncontrolled smoking by mothers and other women during Wednesday Ladies Mid-week competition around these toddlers in their playpens is a sad sight to behold.

Legal action is Pecuniary Interest?
The Association President whose smoking daughter was at the middle of the original dispute which started last November has since resigned his position. However he attended this meeting and successfully blocked any chance of Brian's case being heard because he tabled a letter warning the Committee that one of the Rules in the Constitution stated that no matter of "Pecuniary interest may be discussed in the presence of the member". The Committee accepted his assertion that because Brian had a solicitor write to them threatening legal action if he was not re-instated, that amounted to a pecuniary interest in the outcome, and hence he had to leave the meeting. Furthermore it was ruled that his wife would also have to leave the meeting because that threat of legal action also constituted a pecuniary interest for her! But $500 for the President's Wife is not a Pecuniary Interest?

Brian was disgusted with this process to stop him being heard and pointed out that that the Committee had just voted a donation of $500 to help meet the costs of the wife of the new President to travel overseas to play in some tennis tournament. During this discussion and resolution the new President refrained from speaking to it but he did not even leave the Chair, let alone leave the meeting. The old expression - "They could not even organise a Sunday tennis club" - has never been more appropriate. Battle Ground Shifts to Council After this failure to resolve the problem Brian has stepped up the fight on three fronts:

1. He has directly lobbied all 15 Parramatta City Councillors pointing out the Council's legal liability to be sued as owners of the tennis court facilities. He warned that if he has to sue the Club he will also sue the Council for their negligence in relation to matters which they were informed about as a result of their own survey conducted more than 12 months ago. He also pointed out a possible scenario where the family of, say, an asthmatic child exposed to smoking during Mid-week Ladies Tennis days sues the Council. This has been picked up seriously now by some of the Councillors and they have called for a report to be formally considered by Council in late June 1999. Brian has proposed a solution based on the 25 metre rule which applies at Westmead Children's' Hospital. This would require a ban on smoking within 25 metres of any entrance/exit to a non-smoking building or 25 metres from the actual playing surface of any sporting facility owned or controlled by the Council. This has widened the scope of the smokefree sport argument considerably.

2. He has printed leaflets criticising the way he has been banned without the benefit of due processes provided for in the Constitution and Rules of the Association. Like Daniel in the lion's den he has spent some days and evenings going around all 15 courts in the complex trying to convince players in the other competitions that they should support him on both issues. That is: (1) Wrongful expulsion and (2) The need for an extension of the smoking bans. Those who saw the TV program on Channel 7 on 9 February 1999, where he was called a self-righteous wowser, and much worse, will know that some of these smoking tennis players and anyone connected with the Committee are very hostile. They are in fear and trembling that anyone could presume to restrict their god-given right to pollute the open air no matter who they share it with.

3. He has taken up the issue again with Workcover to force them to either declare the area a "Workplace" covered by the 1983 OHS Act, or to declare that it is not a workplace. At present they have given Parramatta Council a feeling of comfort that restricting smoking within buildings is all that is expected according to the OHS Act. Brian, and NSMA, will not accept this and we make no secret of our ultimate goal of banning smoking in all public areas including in the streets, but we recognise that is some way off yet. Meanwhile, if Workcover is not prepared to formally declare the area as a workplace they must back off giving any opinions which give feelings of false security to the Council. They cannot have it both ways!

Action Point 3
Write to Mr Joe Diffen, General Manager, Parramatta City Council, 30 Darcy St. Parramatta, 2150, or Fax him on 02 9806 5917. Tell him that Council should give a strong lead to the young people who use their sporting facilities that smoking and sport do not mix. They can do this by banning smoking within 25 metres of all buildings and all playing surfaces of sporting facilities under their control.

Previous protest march down George Street Sydney on 22 March 1999.

UPDATE ON GREINER/SOCOG PROBLEM
We are still collecting signatures from people pledging not to buy Olympic tickets while Nick Greiner remains on the Board of SOCOG and we enclose a form to use if you or your friends have not yet completed one. Further letters will be sent to all Nick's fellow Board Members seeking a statement of their personal support, or otherwise, for him. It is intended that anyone replying that his role as a drug pusher does not matter to them will come in for some public mention themselves.

We hope to arrange a group of senior students, possibly school athletes, to present these petitions to some members on the Parliament House steps as soon as the next batch is in.

Action Point 4 Sign the enclosed petition, also collect a few more signatures and send them in to us. (photocopy as required).

ALTERNATIVE DRUG SUMMIT
There was serious concern in health circles that the much publicised Summit on illicit drug use was downgrading and ignoring the more extensive problem of nicotine abuse in the community. Hence the health groups like Action on Smoking and Health and the Heart Foundation etc, are to be commended for organising the "Alternative Drug Summit" on 15 May 1999 to decry the Government's continued failure to fund tobacco control at a proper level commensurate with either the damage done or the revenue received from the sale of cigarettes.

Speakers like Anne Jones and Associate Prof. Simon Chapman pointed out the ludicrous imbalance and failure in logic when the Government collects $64 million in taxes from illegal sales to minors alone and yet only spends $6.1 million on anti-smoking programs spread over 4 years. We won't even mention the national total of more than $4.5 billion collected in tobacco taxes because we would not want politicians to know that we are really aware of their con job on us - would we? Wake up Australian voters! Take these figures with you and beat a politician around the head with them until they convince you they do understand that cigarettes kill 18,500 Australians every year while heroin kills 740 per year and yet is funded to $500 million including $19 million just for the needle exchange program.

The speakers at the Alternate Summit were not against funding control of illicit drugs, but a lot more recognition of the need to increase funding of tobacco control to a level of $64 million is urgently needed. That would show the Government has some understanding of priorities.

Action Point 5

Write to your local member and ask for an explanation as why he/she goes along with the ridiculous imbalance in funding of illicit versus nicotine drug killers.

LAST NSW STATE ELECTION 27 MARCH
We could not cover the last election since it was happening as we went to press. However we did issue a survey to politicians to raise their awareness of the smoking issue. The survey covered questions on links with tobacco, the Olympics, lack of Workcover prosecutions in shopping centres and other venues, delays with the Smoking Regulation Bill re restaurants and public places, and funding of anti-smoking programs. Unfortunately, delays in getting the returns in did not leave us enough time to advise members to assist them with voting intentions.

However we have collated the information for further follow up. One of the surprises was the commitment of the liberals to a promised increase in funding to $13.5 million for tobacco control which is equal to the NSW revenue from illegal sales of cigarettes to children.

NEWS FROM OTHER STATES

In spite of the increased size of this issue we are still not able to cover all the developments in all the states, even NSW. However much of this has been reported in the general media so we hope members have been able to keep up with them. We do have a separate library of press clippings and media monitors so if you particularly need to see some of that coverage please contact us and we will send you copies. Meanwhile here are a few brief items.

LUCKY SOUTH AUSTRALIANS
Our man in Adelaide, Steve Patroni, has sent us lots of press items on the pro and anti coverage of their new bans in enclosed public premises like restaurants and hotels which came into force in January 1999. It is great to see the progress from ACT to WA and now SA. Let's hope we are next!

QUEENSLAND IS EVEN NOT TRYING
The Qld State Govt has picked up a prize it won't be bragging about: "The Dirty Ashtray Award". For the third year running the AMA and the Council for Smoking and Health has singled out Qld for its lack of effort over tobacco control says Dr Dana Wainwright, Qld AMA President.

FEDERAL GOVT. CLAIMS CREDIT
A new report on smoking in Australia has found shocking images of the health effects of smoking have contributed to nearly 200,000 people giving up the habit. The Every Cigarette is Doing You Damage campaign focused on the impact of smoking on the heart and lungs and was very effective says Michael Wooldridge, Federal Health Minister.

SMOKE SALE FINES LACK TEETH
Tough new penalties against retailers selling cigarettes to children have proved toothless with not a single prosecution recorded since the QLD Govt introduced the new law a year ago.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA WARNS ON CIGARS
Keith Woollard, Chairman of Australian Council on Smoking and Health says do not be fooled by the myth that cigars are cool, sexy and harmless. He was commenting on a story in Readers Digest about the cigar industry marketing campaign built around sticking cigars in the gobs of all sorts of people like Bill Clinton, Elle Macpherson, Susie Maroney, Madonna, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Demi Moore and others. He expresses his concerns, about a very well orchestrated campaign to portray cigars as somehow different from cigarettes but they merely transfer some of the risks from lungs to mouth. There are now cigar bars in Perth and Fremantle as another way of marketing them. (See the latest WA ACOSH Newsletter )

MEN SHOULD SIT UP AND NOTICE THIS!
Anne Jones of ASH Australia was interviewed on Adelaide Radio Station 5DN on 3 June about new research from the UK which shows men who smoke are 50% more likely to be impotent than men who don't. She said the research shows that 88% of the men who were surveyed did not link smoking and erectile dysfunction. This means the current warnings on cigarette packets are in need of an update. She says smoking causes erectile dysfunction and this should be a new warning message.

BUTTING OUT BOOSTS TRADE
Restaurants that go smokefree do not lose business but often pick up extra customers a survey by Prof. Stan Glantz (USA) reveals. The anti-cancer council of Victoria said the finding should encourage restaurant owners to ban smoking or introduce smokefree areas.

NEW NATIONAL TOBACCO STRATEGY
Cigarette vending machines may be banned by the Federal Government, and phased out in the next five years. The ban is one of main recommendations of the National Tobacco Strategy to reduce supply, promotion and demand for tobacco, and has the support of the states' and territories' health and police ministers. The NTS is the first of six action plans to be released under the National Drug Strategic Framework.

Other recommendations included exploring the possibility of setting a maximum for nicotine levels (to be progressively reduced), cutting the number and supply of tobacco products on the market, encouraging health funds and insurance companies to offer lower premiums to non-smokers, maintaining regular cigarette price increases above the CPI, forcing tobacco companies to list their ingredients, stopping incidental tobacco advertising in films, television and music videos, reducing point of sale advertising, and researching technology to block tobacco advertising at international sports events. Herald Sun 11-6-99,

MORE TEENAGERS SMOKING
Results of the 1996 Australia wide secondary school survey, published in the June edition of the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, report that rates of smoking among teenagers were rising, with an estimate that almost 300,000 secondary students were smokers. Dr. David Hill also said teenagers had reported that people - often shopkeepers - were breaking up packets and selling single cigarettes. The Australian 11-6-99.

WAR ON PUFFING MUMS
Outraged doctors have revealed some pregnant women are smoking to reduce the size of their babies and ease birth pains. A medical source said one woman yelled 'yippee' when told her baby would be smaller if she didn't give up smoking. At least 30% of women smoke during pregnancy, and up to 100% in some indigenous communities. AMA President, Dr. David Brand says women who deliberately smoke during pregnancy are criminally irresponsible. Herald Sun, 25/5/99

HEARING SET FOR TOBACCO CLAIM
A judge has resisted attempts by lawyers for tobacco companies to delay a test case begun by a group of people seeking compensation for alleged smoking-related cancer. Justice Murray Wilcox set a timetable to hear applications by the tobacco firms to have the case thrown out with a hearing date now set for July 26 1999.

NORTHERN TERRITORY CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF
A Territory Government backed campaign to stop smoking in NT restaurants and cafes was launched yesterday. Northern Territory News, 11/5/99. Ed note: The NSW Labor Government started 2 years ago but NT will probably beat us due to Bob Carr's lack of commitment.

The Update We apologise for reducing the frequency of UPDATE issues to once every three months instead of every two months for the time being. When funding and human resources in the office improve we may revert to the two monthly cycle. As some compensation we have increased the size of this issue and would welcome any comments from members on their preferences on these matters. THANK YOU FOR DONATIONS - BUT MORE NEEDED We have not included a separate sheet appealing for donations in this issue due to the increased size of the newsletter.

However as you can see we have lifted the activity level with rallies, protests, street stalls and several legal actions being explored and this has increased our costs proportionately. Therefore we do ask you to consider an extra donation, particularly if you are due for renewal at this time. To those who generously responded to our appeal sent with the last newsletter we say THANK YOU, it is much appreciated.

We have refrained from sending personalised thank-you letters because this takes a lot of staff time and extra costs for postage etc. Hence, I hope you will be happy with this general thank-you for your invaluable support.

NSMA FUND-RAISING
T - Shirts for $10. We now have a range of the above T- shirts, plus white caps with our logo no smoking sign, to help us raise funds.
Please cut out this coupon and send to address on front page. Please send me :
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I enclose $10 each plus $2 postage.
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Thank You for your Support.