Regulation of packaging

Health warnings on cigarette packs

The Trade Practices (Consumer Product Information Standards)(Tobacco) Regulations 2004 (Cth), which are made under section 65D of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), require cigarette packs manufactured or imported after 1 March 2006 to be labelled with graphic health warnings, as prescribed by the Regulations. 

The health warnings can be viewed on the website of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing:

 Tobacco warnings cigarette packs set A
 Tobacco warnings cigarette packs set B

Section 11 of the Tobacco Act 1987 (Vic) prohibits the sale in Victoria of tobacco products in a package that does not comply with regulations made under the Act. The Victorian regulations state that packs sold in Victoria must comply with the Commonwealth regulation described above.

Pack size

Section 14 of the Tobacco Act 1987 (Vic) stipulates that cigarette packs sold in Victoria must not contain fewer than 20 cigarettes.

Advertisements on packaging

Advertising on tobacco product packaging is not prohibited, because of exceptions for product packaging in section 6(3)(a)(iii) of the Tobacco Act 1987 (Vic) and section 9(2)(b) of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992 (Cth).