Tobacco Facts.

SHERYLE Moon, the chief executive heading a tobacco-financed campaign to ditch Labor’s plan to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, had a warm relationship with the previous government but rejects suggestions she is allied with the Coalition on her new mission.

Ms Moon was appointed to six positions by the Howard government, but yesterday declared ”categorically” that she had not discussed with the Coalition the $5 million advertising campaign starting today.

Ms Moon, who heads the newly formed Alliance of Australian Retailers, which is mounting the advertising attack on Labor, was appointed to honorary and paid positions by the previous Howard government including to the prime minister’s science advisory council and as a general manager of a defence recruiting group. She said she had never been a Liberal Party member.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also denied suggestions that the Coalition was allied with the retailers’ alliance. The Coalition has received $2.5 million in contributions from the tobacco industry in the past 10 years, according to Labor.

”The Liberal Party has absolutely nothing to do with any, sort of, pro-smoking campaign … if we are returned on August 21 we will certainly consider going ahead with the government’s plain packages for cigarettes,” Mr Abbott said.

The two big tobacco companies, British American Tobacco Australia and Philip Morris Australia, yesterday confirmed they were financing the campaign.

Anti-tobacco campaigner Professor Simon Chapman said Mr Abbott’s statement that he would ”consider” plain packaging was ”worrying … The public needs to know whether the Coalition will or will not support it”.

Ms Moon acknowledged that the campaign was being financed by tobacco companies, and did not deny that the cost could exceed $5 million.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the move was ”an unprecedented intervention by big tobacco into an election campaign” against a world-first initiative.

Ms Moon said the plain packaging would complicate the jobs of retailers. Opposition sources dismissed Labor’s attack as a sign that it was under pressure. They said Labor had ”pulled out the anti-tobacco diversion” earlier this year and in 2004.

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