The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) says the Queensland Government’s move to ban junk food advertising will hurt the sector.
The Queensland Labor government last week said it would phase out advertising of unhealthy foods from its advertising spaces, including bus stops, train stations and billboards.
However, OMA chief executive Charmaine Moldrich warned the ban would impact $34 million of revenue from the OOH sector and threaten jobs of those employed in OOH, as well as the food and grocery industries.
"While we understand and support the objective of the Queensland Government to improve health outcomes, the way forward must be nuanced and involve industry,” Moldrich says.
“We are working with the Queensland Government to find a way to achieve its objectives without creating adverse and unintended consequences for the state."
Moldrich says targeting just OOH, which makes up 6% of the total advertising market, would do little to improve the health of Queenslanders and will likely see a shift in spend to other channels.
“The OMA has proposed a targeted educational campaign to raise awareness and promote healthy foods and healthy lifestyle,” Moldrich says.
“We look forward to continuing our work with the Queensland Government to make a real difference to health in the state.”
The Queensland Premier’s office has been contacted for comment.
The issue of junk food advertising has been ongoing, with the Cancer Council recently calling on the NSW government to phase out ads for unhealthy foods.
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