Table 1.

Timeline of adoption and implementation of tobacco plain packaging legislation in Australia

2008
9 April	Health Minister Nicola Roxon announces establishment of the National Preventative Health Taskforce
10 October	Release of the draft report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce recommending tobacco plain packaging
17–22 November	Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopt guidelines on advertising and package labelling that recommend the use of plain packaging
2009
30 June	National Preventative Health Taskforce final report to Australian Government for consideration
1 September	Health Minister releases final report
2010
29 April	Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announces Australia will adopt tobacco plain packaging
11 May	Release of Australian Government's formal response to recommendations
21 August	Australian general election
2011
7 April	Release of exposure draft of legislation for consultation Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011
6 July	Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011 and Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill introduced and read in House of Representatives. House refers Bills to Standing Committee on Health and Ageing
4 August	Hearings of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing
18 August	Senate refers Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011 to Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee which calls for submissions (by 2 September)
22 August	House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Aged Care tables the report on its Inquiry into Tobacco Plain Packaging
13 September	Hearings of the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
17 September	Release of consultation paper on new graphic health warnings for tobacco products
19 September	Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee provides report to Senate
26 October	Release of Proposed mandatory standard for tobacco labelling (graphic health warnings): second round consultation paper
2 November	Health Minister, announces that the implementation of tobacco plain packaging will be delayed until 1 December, 2012 as a result of delays in the Senate review of the bill
14 November	Release of Proposed mandatory standard for tobacco labelling (graphic health warnings): draft regulation for comment
21 November	Final passage of amended Bill through House of Representatives
1 December	Bill received royal assent and became law—Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011
1 December	British American Tobacco initiates proceedings in Australia’s High Court to test the validity of the law as it relates to property rights of two brands, Winfield and Dunhill. Press release Writ of summons (British American Tobacco Australasia Limited)
6 December	Imperial Tobacco similarly initiates proceedings Writ of summons (Imperial Tobacco Australia Limited)
15 December	Japan Tobacco files a Writ of Summons against the Australian Government alleging that the plain packaging law infringes its trademark rights Writ of summons (Japan Tobacco International SA)
20 December	Philip Morris Australia files a Writ of Summons in the High Court against the Australian Government alleging that the plain packaging law infringes its trademark and property rights Writ of summons (Philip Morris Limited) and Annexures
22 December	Release of new Information Standard specifying enlarged graphic health warnings for tobacco products Competition and Consumer (Tobacco) Information Standard 2011 to start phase in from 1 January 2012
2012
17–19 April	High Court case hearing of Full Court opens in Canberra
27 June	Introduction of Customs Amendment (Smuggled Tobacco) Bill 2012
15 August	High Court of Australia announces tobacco industry's case against Australian Government has failed and awards costs to the government. Judgement to be released at later date. Further information
1 October	All packs manufactured to be plainly packaged
6 November	Assent of Customs Amendment (Smuggled Tobacco) Act 2012
1 December	All packs sold to be in plain packaging with prescribed enlarged health warning. Only the first set of graphic health warnings are to be displayed on retail packaging of cigarettes and most other smoked tobacco products (excluding cigars and bidis). Cigars and bidis are required to display different product specific warnings
2013
1 February	Automatic (biannual since 1985) indexation of tobacco excise/customs duty in line with increase in Consumer Price Index June 2012 to December 2013
1 August	Automatic (biannual since 1985) indexation of tobacco excise/customs duty, in line with increase in Consumer Price Index December 2012 to June 2013 andGraphic health warnings from the second set of warnings start to be displayed on relevant packaging; packs with warnings from the first set of warnings may continue to be manufactured until the end of November 2013
1 December	12.5% increase in excise/customs duty. Only packs bearing one of the second set of graphic health warnings may be manufactured from this date
2014
1 March	First of automatic indexation increases in excise and customs duty in line with changes in Average Weekly Earnings

Source: a more detailed timeline can be viewed on the Plain Facts website, Cancer Council Victoria, at https://www.cancervic.org.au/plainfacts/browse.asp?ContainerID=timelineandinternationaldevelopments.