Labor’s announcement today is typical Labor knows best nanny statism at its worst.
After 16 years of mismanaging Tasmania’s health system and countless broken promises, Labor has already lost all credibility on health and today’s effort shows they still can’t produce an evidence-based policy and be taken seriously.
Everyone wants to see a healthier Tasmania, however Labor’s lazy thought-bubble of prohibition and regulation would see Tasmania become a nanny state where, according to their own release, we’d all be drinking nothing but water.
Labor says they will adopt the approach of the “Rethink Sugary Drinks” campaign, a key part of which is a recommendation to increase taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks1 .
Tasmanian Labor’s plan for a new sugar tax would leave a sour taste in Tasmanians’ mouths. The Liberal party is the party of lower taxes and as we’ve said, we don’t support new taxes.
We believe that educating Tasmanians about healthy living and supporting them to make the right choices will deliver better outcomes and that’s why we have a goal to make Tasmania the healthiest population in Australia by 2025 and are developing a statewide integrated approach to promote good health and the prevention of chronic disease.
The Department of Health and Human Services is keeping a watching brief on the issue of e-cigarettes and we would urge any groups with concerns to bring them to the Government.
Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are already illegal in Tasmania due to the known health dangers they pose. While there are no current plans to extend laws to include non-nicotine e-cigarettes, the Government acknowledges differing medical opinions on the issue and will monitor and assess evidence about their health implications.
1 - http://www.rethinksugarydrink.org.au/media/health-experts-applaud-us-tax-on-soft-drinks.html