Little Andrew: Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill; and Bills Therefrom — Third Readings 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Little Andrew: Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill; and Bills Therefrom — Third Readings 
[Sitting date: 16 October 2012. Volume:684;Page:5843. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW LITTLE (Labour) 
: 
 This is just a brief contribution to the debate on the Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products—Budget Measures) Amendment Bill and the associated legislation. As my colleagues have said Labour supports this legislation on the grounds of the contribution it will make to health and to public health. 
Labour has always been at the forefront of measures to improve health through reductions and disincentives for smoking. We led the way for example with the smoke-free workplaces legislation back in 1990 and then with the extension of that to virtually every other public place or place where the public gathers with the smoke-free environments legislation in the 2000s. They were very important measures. 
They were difficult measures because certainly for a lot of working people having a smoke was seen as a reasonably cheap way of doing something that was pleasurable and luxurious and as somewhat of an acceptable vice. But the truth is that as we know smoking has made an enormous contribution to negative health effects across New Zealand. Smoking was the source or the cause of cancers of throat cancers of lung cancers and many others of hypertension and of a range of other medical conditions. So those measures were necessary. If we wanted to address those health issues we had to do something about smoking. 
The reality is we now know that when it comes to activities that come with a patina of social acceptability—like smoking—if you increase the price of them you reduce the level to which the activity is subscribed to and there are improved health effects. That is why as some of my colleagues have raised too it is so disappointing that this Government can see the implications and the benefits from increasing the price of a social activity that has negative effects like smoking but it will not do the same thing when it comes to the social activity or at least the social drug of alcohol. 
We know that alcohol has extraordinarily negative health effects. We know that price will have an impact. We know what the research says and what the Law Commission tells us but there is no corresponding gesture from the Government when it comes to addressing those health issues through legislating for minimum pricing on alcohol. That is just an inconsistency that we are going to have to grapple with and deal with as a House. The citizenry of New Zealand look to this House for leadership. They see leadership on the smoking issue and on the measures that we take to reduce smoking and improve our health performance. They see us taking leadership here today with this legislation. What a pity they have not so far seen us taking it on the measures to do with alcohol but that debate is yet to be concluded and maybe—and we live in hope—there will be change in that regard as well. 
As I said Labour has always been ahead on smoking issues. I remember when the smoke-free workplaces legislation was first introduced. It caused issues for employers and for their workforces and they had to negotiate their way to manage that. I remember representing many airport workers at Auckland Airport back in the 1990s when they were prohibited from smoking in the workplace. They had to duck out the back as so many did for a quick shoofty in the dark dim cold barren places corners that most employers had in their workplaces. What they found at Auckland Airport of course was that travelling passengers particularly those from Asian origins who had flown for 11 or 12 hours across the continent and into New Zealand were desperate for a smoke and special provision was made to have a special smoking room in the Auckland International Airport. Great problems were caused when the great clouds of smoke went up in the international terminal. All the workers there who were hanging out frankly for their smoke could not partake of it even though the passengers travelling through the airport could. It is interesting to see now that that smoking room has gone. 
That was one measure that was taken but the reality is that the underlying health problems that we still have with smoking have needed the last hurdle to be leapt and that is the price hurdle. This legislation will do that. It will have a significant impact on reducing smoking and improving health effects. We will have to nurse those remaining dedicated committed and some would say of course addicted smokers through it because they will have a negative response but the long-term effect will be good. It will be good for the youngsters in our community and for the diehards who will have to work their way through.