A Labor plan to put cigarettes in plain packaging looks set to pass parliament, with the support of some coalition MPs.
West Australian Nationals MP Tony Crook has joined Liberal MPs Alex Somlyay, Dr Mal Washer and Ken Wyatt in expressing support for the move, which the government says will cut smoking rates and improve public health.
With the support of the Greens in the Senate and at least some of the independents in the lower house, the government looks like it has the numbers to pass the legislation.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, a former health minister, says the shadow cabinet has yet to form an opinion on the new laws.
Australian Greens leader Bob Brown wants the parliament to go further and legislate to ban donations from tobacco companies to parties.
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"We need to clear the air of tobacco smoke pollution here in Parliament House," he said, adding the Greens had never taken money from big tobacco and Labor no longer did either.
Senator Brown also suggested smoking rooms be installed at Australian airports so that travellers didn't have to walk into "a wall of smoke" once they got outside a terminal.
"I say that as a doctor, because we know that passive smoking causes a whole range of illnesses," he said.
Independent MP Bob Katter said the packaging move smacked of "rampant wowserism".
"This is rapidly becoming the most restrictive society on earth," he told reporters.
WA Liberal senator Chris Back, a former veterinarian, said he didn't believe plain packaging would cut smoking rates.
"If the product is so bad that companies can't use their own brand to actually sell it then the government ought to ... say, `should it be legal in the first place?'" he said.
Senator Back said there was "robust discussion" within the coalition on the new laws, but that did not equate to disunity.
Labor backbencher Doug Cameron said it was time for the coalition to prove they were not beholden to big tobacco.
"If $3 million buys their support for big tobacco and puts the health of Australians second, then that's not a good look," he said.
Commenting on the Greens' plan, Liberal MP Stuart Robert said there should be no limits on where political donations came from, as long as they were publicly declared and within electoral laws.
