World

Plain cigarette packaging next year in Australia

05:48 am on 25 August 2011

Australia is set to introduce plain cigarette packaging with no company branding.

The lower hourse of the parliament has passed two bills that mean all tobacco products will have to be sold in plain green packets from July next year.

Both bills now go to the Senate, where the opposition has said it will back them.

Both major parties supported the bill in the lower house, but the ABC reports several Coalition members spoke out against it.

Liberal MP Alex Hawke told Parliament he doubted the legislation would work.

''I've got news for the Minister for Health and the government - life kills people,'' he said.

''It's a dangerous activity, life. There are no laws we can pass to prevent that," he said.

The legislation aims to reduce smoking rates below 10%.