Liberals deny involvement in tobacco-funded anti-Labor ads

CANBERRA - The Liberal Party has denied it is involved in a tobacco company-funded anti-Labor advertising blitz, saying it would also consider implementing plain packaging.

Howard Government advisers and Liberal Party strategists reportedly have helped devise the A$5 million ($6.2 million) ad campaign by a group of allied retailers. The Alliance of Australian Retailers, funded mainly by British American Tobacco and Philip Morris, wants to stop proposed laws for plain packaging of tobacco.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said his party had "absolutely nothing to do with any sort of pro-smoking campaign". If the coalition was elected to power on August 21, it would "certainly consider" implementing plain packaging, he said.

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi said he was confident the party was not involved with the alliance.

"If they want to talk about who is captive to spin doctors and special interests you have to look no further than the Labor Party," he told Sky News.

Crosby Textor, the market research and polling company which advises the Liberal Party, has denied any involvement in the ad campaign despite assertions it had organised research for the ads.

The alliance denies the Liberal Party is involved in its campaign. "That's definitely untrue," spokeswoman Sheryle Moon said.

Anti-smoking groups have moved quickly to slam the ad blitz, saying it is all about protecting the interests of big tobacco companies.

But Moon said it was more about regulation of the measure because it added time to transactions and was costly for business. She said the campaign, which cost "around" A$5 million, would run until the policy was overturned.

- AAP