As the world marks World No Tobacco Day on Sunday 31 May, Lung Foundation Australia is warning that the tobacco and nicotine industry continues to influence Australians in ways many people no longer recognise.
This year’s theme, “Unmask the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction”, highlights how the industry has reinvented its tactics to keep these harmful and highly addictive products visible, attractive and socially acceptable, particularly among children and young people.
Despite Australia’s world-leading tobacco control laws and advertising restrictions, the industry continues to exert influence through political access, social media, sports sponsorships and entertainment content.
Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said while traditional tobacco advertising may have disappeared, the industry itself had not.
“Australians rightly believe tobacco advertising was banned years ago, but the industry simply adapted,” Mr Brooke said.
“Today, influence happens in far more subtle ways, through social media feeds, entertainment content, global sporting sponsorships and political lobbying that most people never see.”
Lung Foundation Australia is raising concerns about the ongoing political influence of tobacco and nicotine companies through donations, lobbying activity and participation in government consultations and inquiries.
In 2023, British American Tobacco donated $55,000 to the National Party and Philip Morris International donated $75,000 during the development of Australia’s vaping reforms. At a 4 May Senate Inquiry into the illicit tobacco trade, the Committee held an unlisted in camera meeting with Philip Morris International that was not included on the public agenda.
Similarly, during the NSW illicit tobacco inquiry (December 2025), the Committee held an unlisted meeting with Philip Morris International that was not initially included in official transcripts and was only identified months later after being added retrospectively.
“Allowing one of the world’s largest tobacco companies to provide private evidence on a major public health issue undermines transparency and public trust,” Mr Brooke said.
At the same time, tobacco and nicotine companies continue to find new ways to promote their products despite advertising restrictions.
Formula 1, for example, remains heavily linked to nicotine branding through sponsorships associated with nicotine pouch products. Philip Morris International sponsors Ferrari through its ZYN branding, while British American Tobacco sponsors McLaren through its VELO brand, with logos appearing across race cars, driver suits and digital broadcasts watched by millions globally.
Mr Brooke said Australians should consider boycotting Ferrari and McLaren over the teams’ ongoing relationships with nicotine companies and the promotion of nicotine branding to global audiences, including children and young people.
“Ferrari and McLaren should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to act as global advertising platforms for companies that profit from addiction, disease and death. Australians should seriously consider boycotting both teams until these nicotine sponsorships are removed,” Mr Brooke said.
“The tobacco industry killed millions of people, and now it is using Ferrari and McLaren to rebrand itself for children and young audiences under the guise of ‘modern’ nicotine products. It is cynical, dangerous and completely incompatible with any claim these teams care about their fans.”
These partnerships are particularly concerning as Formula 1 expands its reach to younger audiences through collaborations with brands including Disney, LEGO and Hot Wheels.
The growing normalisation of smoking and vaping in movies, television and streaming content is another concerning issue, impacting the next generation.
Research shows repeated exposure to smoking and vaping imagery increases the likelihood of young people taking up nicotine products, while also making it harder for people trying to quit. In 2026, eight out of ten Academy Award Best Picture nominees featured tobacco imagery, the highest level recorded in recent years.
“When smoking and vaping are repeatedly portrayed as normal, glamorous or rebellious, it shapes attitudes and behaviours, especially among young people,” Mr Brooke said.
Lung Foundation Australia is calling on governments to strengthen protections against tobacco and vaping industry interference particularly from government policy decision-making, crack down on indirect advertising and influencer marketing, reduce the widespread availability of nicotine products, and invest in stronger quit support services.
“Under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Australia has clear obligations to protect public health policy from tobacco industry interference,” Mr Brooke said.
“Allowing private or undisclosed engagement with tobacco companies during parliamentary inquiries falls well short of the transparency standards expected under those obligations and risks undermining public confidence in health decision-making.
“The tobacco industry has changed its tactics, but its goal remains the same, creating addiction for profit regardless of the human consequence.
“This World No Tobacco Day, we want Australians to understand how sneakily and sinister this influence is happening, even when they don’t realise, they’re being targeted.”
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