Greens Propose Junk Food And Alcohol Advertising Levy
July 22nd 2010 04:12
Australia's biggest burger
Launching the policy with Victorian Greens Senate candidate, Dr Richard Di Natale in Melbourne today, Greens leader Bob Brown said the advertisers could choose the option of including health information in their advertising or pay the levy.
"This type of levy has been working in France since 2004. Australia should not allow junk food and alcohol companies to make billions at the expense of the health and well being of Australians," Senator Brown said.
"The alcohol industry spends $109 million on advertising per year while fast food companies are among the top 50 advertisers in Australia, spending around $165 million on advertising per year," he said.
The Greens will introduce legislation to:
* Introduce a requirement to include health information on alcohol
and junk food advertising (the standards and nature of the health information to be determined by a National Preventive Health Agency);
* Provide advertisers with an option to pay a 1.5% levy on alcohol
and junk food advertising rather than include the information themselves;
* Create a Health Promotion Advertising Fund to allocate the funds
for health information and to replace alcohol or junk food sponsorship in community sports clubs.
Dr Di Natale said the costs to individuals and the community as a result of consumption, in terms of health effects, social costs and lost productivity, of these products is enormous.
“Alcohol use in Australia costs $15.3 billion and obesity costs are estimated to be around $58.2 billion," Dr Di Natale said.
The levy could potentially raise around $4 million in revenue for A Health Promotion Advertising Fund, under the National Preventive Health Agency. It would be used to provide health information to consumers through social marketing campaigns," he said.
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Comment by Judcat
What is their definition of junk food?
In many cases of obesity it is the overall diet that is junk.