Electronic Letters to:
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eLetters: Electronic letters published:
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Error in Abstract Layout
- Simon Chapman, Becky Freeman (28 January 2008)
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We all did not go quietly
- Jill McDonald (18 March 2008)
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Australian government excludes tobacco industry from routine consultation
- Simon Chapman (26 October 2008)
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Simon Chapman, Professor of Public Health University of Sydney, Becky Freeman
Send letter to journal:
sc{at}med.usyd.edu.au Simon Chapman, et al.
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Readers of our paper Markers of the Denormalisation of Smoking and the Tobacco Industry may be perplexed about the way the Abstract is structured with the traditional Background, Methods, Results and Conclusion headings. These headings were inserted during the editing process after we as authors had approved the proofs of the paper. The paper we approved had an unstructured abstract as was appropriate to a paper of this sort. We do not believe the error warrants a formal correction, but wanted readers to understand how the oddity occurred. |
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Jill McDonald, Project Officer
Send letter to journal:
jmcdonald{at}durri.org.au Jill McDonald
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Dear Simon and Becky, As a fellow advocate of non smoking I would like to congratulate you on the Article: Markers of the demormalisation of smoking and the tobacco industry. I note with interest your comments under the heading Smoking rooms at airports. You note "In early 2007, these uninviting rooms were quietly removed from Australian airports...." The Darwin International Airport still provides a room for the (many) smokers in the NT. The room conveniently opens directly on to the airport waiting lounge, provides seating and a "view". Each time the door is opened, a great waft of smoke-laden air rushes into the waiting area for the rest of the potential passengers and visitors to inhale; and waiting times can be long in Darwin with many of us waiting for 2am and later flights. Now we know the Northern Territory is different to the rest of Australia! We also have a large group of smokers, and the indigenous territorians smoke at high levels, in some communties 72% of all adults. The Darwin Airport has not quietly removed the smoking room. Yes we are different! Regards JMcDonald Public Health Project Officer Northern Territory Australia |
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Simon Chapman, Professor of Public Health University of Sydney
Send letter to journal:
sc{at}med.usyd.edu.au Simon Chapman
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An important new marker of the denormalisation of the tobacco industry has occurred in Australia in 2008. It is traditional – indeed usually mandatory -- for industries which may be affected by proposed changes in government policy or legislation to be fully consulted through formal processes prior to any changes taking place. In 2008, the Australian government established a Preventative (sic) Health Task Force, with several key sub-committees, to examine ways that Australia could more effectively prevent its major causes of chronic disease. The Task Force’s chief mission was to “provide a blueprint for tackling the burden of chronic disease currently caused by obesity, tobacco, and excessive consumption of alcohol. It will be directed at primary prevention and will address all relevant arms of policy and all available points of leverage, in both the health and non-health sectors, in formulating its recommendations.” The group’s report on tobacco control has now been published (see http://www.preventativehealth.org.au/internet/preventativehealth/publishing.nsf/Content/tech -tobacco). The terms of reference for the Task Force included a requirement to obtain “Input from the food, alcohol and medicines industries, from stakeholders in these industries”. Significantly, no such requirement was mandated for consultation with the tobacco industry. This omission would appear to indicate that the Australian government sees no merit in consulting with the tobacco industry when it comes to preventing health problems. The local industry has often made overtures to governments, including statements that it supports all platforms of tobacco control [1]. The exclusion of the tobacco industry from routine forms of consultation would seem to be yet another example of its ever- spiralling pariah status in the community. References 1. Davies D (Philip Morris) Speech to National Press Club Canberra 2005 http://tobacco.health.usyd.edu.au/site/supersite/resources/pdfs/DDavies_%20HR_%202005.pdf |
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