Independent MLA Kezia Purick’s free trip to South Korea at a five-star hotel funded by Big Tobacco has been rebuked by the Federal Health Minister, who recently sent a letter to federal politicians reminding them of their obligations under an international treaty not to cosy up with the tobacco and vaping industry.

Ms Purick has also been called on to abstain from voting in NT Parliament on any legislation involving tobacco or vaping by the head of the Australian Medical Association NT, after the apparent conflict of interest by accepting the gift of flights and accommodation by the tobacco industry to attend and speak at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, which promoted smoking and vaping.

The forum was held over three days at the Conrad Hotel Seoul, a five-star hotel that provides “luxury rooms and suites” that range from $650 a night to $1,300 (AUD), offering “spectacular views of Seoul, Yeouido Park, and the Han River”.

Conrad Hotel Seoul

Ms Purick has claimed she was invited by Big Tobacco to attend the conference because “they wanted to hear my views” on tobacco and vaping for unexplained reasons, and that she used the conference to “enlighten” herself about the industry. She also said she wanted to learn how to prevent smoking in the NT – particularly by Indigenous Territorians – by attending the tobacco industry conference in Korea, rather than a public health conference in Australia.

That explanation was questioned earlier in the week by a public health policy expert who said cutting smoking and vaping rates was not on the agenda at an industry conference.

The trip has been heavily criticised for being paid for by industry and for seemingly breaching the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which forbids public officials from networking with tobacco industry representatives. Ms Purick is the first Australian politician to attend a tobacco industry conference in more than a decade, The Guardian reported.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said on Friday that Australia takes its obligations under the FCTC “extremely seriously” and would continue to “protect its public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry”.

“As Health Minister I wrote to all Commonwealth Parliamentarians reminding them of their obligation under the WHO Convention on Tobacco Control,” Mr Butler said.

“This independent Northern Territory MP [Purick] may not have been aware that we are a signatory to the WHO Convention.

“Hopefully this is a wake-up call. Australian politicians should not be attending events that are sponsored by big tobacco.”

Ms Purick, who claimed she had “no idea” about the international agreement may not have breached the FCTC because she is not a member of the NT Labor Government and does not directly influence the drafting of legislation.

However, AMA NT head Dr Robert Parker said on Thursday that Ms Purick should do the right thing and abstain from voting on any future legislation regarding tobacco or vaping brought to Parliament.

“There is concern when you get funded by the tobacco industry to go on [the trip], when not using your parliamentary entitlement,” he said on Mix 104.9.

Dr Parker added that Ms Purick was not “going to get very far with the vaping because there is more and more evidence that vaping [leads to health issues]”.

“I think [the gifted trip] puts you in a very difficult position where you’ve got a significant conflict of interest on any potential vote or discussion on vaping,” he said.

The Australian Cancer Council and the Heart Foundation earlier this week rejected Ms Purick’s claims at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum that both organisations oppose vaping because they “don’t have enough evidence” about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

The Cancer Council said they are an “evidence-informed organisation” that relies on the latest research to inform their decisions, including research published in the Medical Journal of Australia. The Heart Foundation also said it relied on “strong evidence” that showed vaping is harmful.

When asked on ABC Radio this week why she made the claims about the health organisations, Ms Purick said, “I’m not sure what I was trying to point out”, before adding that, “I wasn’t demeaning them by saying they don’t have enough information to support their position”.

Ms Purick has claimed she recorded the gift on her Register of Members’ Interests, however the details of that will not be released until next March. She has refused to disclose the costs before then. She also did not say if she had taken her partner on the trip.

Ms Purick resigned in disgrace as speaker in June 2020, after an ICAC investigation found she engaged in “corrupt conduct” to prevent the establishment of a new political party by using public resources for her own political gains and repeatedly lied about it.