In April, the United Kingdom passed landmark laws that aim to create a “smokefree generation”. This means anyone born on or after January 1 2009 can never legally be sold tobacco products.

The law is a triumph for public health. And it puts the financial interests of the tobacco industry in the rear window.

Compare this to what happened on May 4, at a Senate inquiry into the illegal tobacco crisis in Australia. Tobacco giant Philip Morris Limited was not only invited to give evidence, but was permitted to do so behind closed doors without any public scrutiny.

Neither the original nor the revised speakers list mentions Philip Morris even appearing at the committee hearing.

Philip Morris was also permitted to give evidence behind closed doors to a New South Wales state parliament inquiry into the illegal tobacco trade in late February.

Having these sessions behind closed doors means Philip Morris could lobby privately for policies that would directly benefit the company, such as cutting tobacco taxes. It also allows Philip Morris to raise matters beyond what was included in its public submission.

Because Philip Morris’s testimonies were given behind closed doors, the media and the public have been unable to gauge the expertise of the witnesses who appeared. Nor can other witnesses and experts interrogate the evidence and policy advice the company presented to committee members.

Participating in regulatory review processes such as parliamentary inquiries isn’t the only way the tobacco industry tries to........

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