Independent MLA Kezia Purick hits out at criticism of tobacco conference

An independent MLA has deflected criticism of her trip to a big tobacco funded conference, saying there are ‘more important’ things to worry about than the overseas jaunt.

A Territory MLA is holding out on revealing the financial details of a jaunt to South Korea for a tobacco conference, but has lashed critics of the move.

In September Goyder MLA Kezia Purick attended the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum annual conference in South Korea, which she said was paid for by organisers.

She said she submitted details of the trip with the NT Parliament’s members’ register which will not be released until next March, and has declined to explain how the trip in any way benefited constituents in her rural Darwin electorate.

She said her critics were “wrong”.

Member for Goyder Kezia Purick. Picture: Floss Adams.

“I believe there’s more important things to worry about in our bloody community than me as an independent in a small jurisdiction attending a conference in Korea in regards to smoking and vaping and the way forward,” she told Mix 104.9’s Katie Woolf on Monday.

“You know, we’ve just heard what’s happening in our community and I think that should be our priority, not little old me independent Member for Goyder.”

Ms Purick said the conference, which is sponsored by multinational tobacco players including British American Tobacco and vaping companies, explored all aspects of the tobacco industry.

She was a member of the NT select committee on Electronic Cigarettes and Personal Vaping, but neglected to mention the committee was disbanded earlier this year because it was rendered redundant by federal government changes around vaping.

NT AMA President Dr Robert Parker

“I’ve recorded (the trip) on my registrar of interests in regards to receiving the gratuity and the gifts, so there’s nothing I’m hiding, the organisers paid for my trip and I contributed and I took a lot away from it,” she said.

“I want to use that information and knowledge to understand how we can bring about more change, both legislation and regulation but also by education.”

NT AMA President Robert Parker said Ms Purick was entitled to attend the conference, but did so knowing the devastating impacts of cigarettes on the Northern Territory.

X-ray of an Aussie teen’s lungs damaged by vaping from a Medical Journal Australia article in 2021. Supplied

“The AMA wrote to all NT parliaments a couple of years ago based on an expert article by leading independent academics that showed 50 per cent of Aboriginal people over 40 die of smoking related causes,” Dr Parker said.

“We also showed politicians photos of the dirty ashtray awards we had won over the previous three years.

“Kezia would have been well aware of that when she went to South Korea and as a well informed and intelligent woman she’s got every right to attend, but she would have been well aware of the statistics and the much higher rates of smoking among Aboriginal people.”

Federal AMA president Professor Steve Robson said the trip was “shameful”.