Category Archives: Plain Packaging

You can’t trust government research

Posted on 2:31 pm, September 29, 2020 by Sinclair Davidson

Over the past 12 years or so, I’ve had a nice side gig going where I have replicated and critiqued modelling that underpins government policy. To that end I have critiqued the FuelWatch scheme, the GFC stimulus, the mining tax, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and economy, Libertarians don't live by argument alone, Plain Packaging, Politics | 26 Comments

How’s that war on tobacco going?

Posted on 4:44 pm, July 16, 2020 by Sinclair Davidson

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare put out their latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey today. This survey comes out every 3 years. We covered it last time here. I have updated the graph showing the downward trend in … Continue reading →

Posted in Oppressive government, Plain Packaging, Taking out the trash | 14 Comments

Mentioned in dispatches

Posted on 4:28 pm, June 11, 2020 by Sinclair Davidson

In one of its last rulings, the now-defunct World Trade Organisation has ruled that Australia’s plain packaging laws are legal – not that they were effective, but legal. Anyway in 2018 I made an amicus curiae submission to the WTO. … Continue reading →

Posted in Plain Packaging | 7 Comments

I’m here to help

Posted on 9:52 pm, June 8, 2020 by currencylad

Defence Department attempts to explain differences between women and men.   When the ADF’s top brass isn’t spending 640,000 of your dollars on ‘gender reassignment’ surgery, dispatching personnel to $12,000-a-pop Gender Peace and Security courses to make them “gender sensitive, … Continue reading →

Posted in Plain Packaging, Politics of the Left, War and peace | 84 Comments

Idea laundering is a threat to business and civil society

Posted on 10:26 am, November 26, 2019 by Sinclair Davidson

The WSJ describes how idea laundering works: Here’s how it works: First, various academics have strong moral impulses about something. For example, they perceive negative attitudes about obesity in society, and they want to stop people from making the obese … Continue reading →

Posted in Plain Packaging | 29 Comments

David Leyonhjelm. Time for new thinking on smoking

Posted on 2:27 pm, July 4, 2019 by Rafe Champion

At the World Taxpayers’ Association Biennial Conference in Sydney recently, experts discussed global approaches to tobacco control and harm reduction. From this it is timely to ask whether our bureaucrats and government need a change of mindset. According to both … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Post, Plain Packaging, Take Nanny down | 79 Comments

Is this false advertising?

Posted on 5:29 pm, November 3, 2018 by Sinclair Davidson

Quit Victoria put out a tweet the other day. 25% reduction in smoking rates? In Australia? How could the National Drug Strategy Household Survey get it so wrong? Unlike Quit Victoria who report a 25% decline, the National Drug Strategy Household … Continue reading →

Posted in Plain Packaging | 12 Comments

Christopher Snowdon: Smoking rate rises in first year of plain packaging and TPD

Posted on 2:37 pm, July 4, 2018 by Guest Author

The Office for National Statistics has just released its annual publication, Adult Smoking Habits in Great Britain, with data for 2017. 2017 was the year that plain packaging and the Tobacco Products Directive effectively began. Both were introduced in May 2016 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross Post, Plain Packaging | 3 Comments

Australian government rubbishes government data

Posted on 10:21 am, July 1, 2018 by Sinclair Davidson

After the Wakefield survey results turned out to be unconvincing, the Australian government had another problem in demonstrating the efficacy of its plain packaging policy. Many government data sets showed that the prevalence or incidence of smoking had increased after … Continue reading →

Posted in Plain Packaging | 17 Comments

WTO rules on plain packaging evidence

Posted on 2:25 pm, June 30, 2018 by Sinclair Davidson

After the WTO plain packaging result was leaked last year – Australia won the case – it has taken a long time to actually release the reasoning. That happened yesterday our time. The judgement is over 800 pages long, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Plain Packaging, Wakefield data, Wakefield Study | 23 Comments