Opposition leader Bill Shorten’s popularity has fallen to the lowest level of any Labor leader in more than a decade.
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THE $40 packet of cigarettes is on the way if Labor gets hold of the federal excise system and implements the ultimate sin tax.
But Labor says the shine will soon come off. “Malcolm Turnbull can only tell people what they want to hear for so long, soon the prime minister is going to have to unveil his plan”, Labor frontbencher Amanda Rishworth told reporters in Canberra.
The Budget could be healthier by close to $50 billion in the medium term, and the high cost of smoking-induced illnesses would be reduced, according to Labor calculations.
On current policy settings, a 25 cigarette pack that costs $24.69 now will increase to $29.91 in 2020.
“Each year in Australia, tobacco kills more than 15,000 people and has more than $31.5 billion in health and economic costs”, said Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King today. The third rise was in September this year and the final one comes next September.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten said aside from discouraging smokers from buying cigarettes it will portray the policy as an example of “reform with purpose”.
“Labor wants to reduce the number of people who smoke; Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberals want to increase the GST and the cost of everything, including fresh food, school fees and going to the doctor”, he said. Turnbull’s better PM rating increased from 61% to 64%, while Shorten fell from 18% to 15%.
Satisfaction with Shorten’s performance declined a point to 26%.
Mr Shorten has spent the past two weeks campaigning across the country, but it has been overshadowed by the Paris terror attacks and Mr Turnbull attending three world leader summits overseas.
There’s only slightly better news for Labor in the two-party preferred vote with the result remaining steady, but it is still an election-losing position for the ALP at 47 percent to the Coalition’s 53 percent.
It is the worst figure for Shorten as leader, but one other Labor Leader has managed to poll 14 percent; Simon Crean in 2003 against John Howard. The Greens rose a point to 11%.
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Commentators said on Tuesday that the Labor Party was now facing the same devastating defeat that it suffered at the last federal election.
