Michael G. Porter

Michael G. Porter is an Australian academic economist who taught at the Australian National University (Canberra) and Monash University (Melbourne) while also running a consultancy business for major corporations. In 1979, he set up a think-tank at Monash University, the Centre of Policy Studies[1] which advocated extreme free-market/no regulation views.[2]

[NOTE: CoPS has since radically changed in character and now resides at Victoria University]

This was essentially a libertarian free-market imitation of the Centre for Policy Studies (UK) which had been created by (Sir) Keith Joseph for Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1974. This think-tank became an important component in circulating the conservative/corporate social contract theory during the Reagan-Thatcher period when many industries were being deregulated and privatised.

Miscellaneous material

Timeline

• CEC Aust.[10]
• 1989 Briefing ACIL to monitor taxation[11]
• 1989 the Centre for Independent Studies established the Economics Education Resource Centre (EERC), the aim of which was to target a radical neo-liberal agenda to high school economics teachers[12]
• 1990 Winter issue of Policy, published by the Centre for Independent Studies.

"The Lalonde Doctrine in Action: The Campaign Against Passive Smoking" by Peter D Finch, Foundation Professor of Statistics, Monash University, in which he writes complaining that the Canadian LaLonde Doctrine has politicised health promotion. He quotes Goran Pershagen, C Snow, Peter Lee, and Ted Sterling [all well-known tobacco scientists][13]

• 1994 Feb: Commissioned ACIL cost-benefits of smoking report.[14]

The Tobacco Institute of Australia (TIA) had paid ACIL Economics (Aust) to produce a cost-benefits of smoking study - an attempt to provide politicians with a so-called 'independent analysis' of the economics of the cigarette business and its health implications. This was to counter to the (Collins/Lapsley) C&L Study made for the Australian Department of Health which estimated that smoking cost the community $6.8 billion each year.

ACIL determined that tobacco contributed $3.5 billion to Gross Domestic Product, and with excise taxes etc, the net benefits each year to the Australian economy was $12.5 billion—much more than the meat industry contributed, and equal to that of the iron and steel industries.

On the question of "causes of death" (including "death benefits") they say:

The difficulties in confidently attributing the cause of death in this analysis are widely recognised and understood, particularly in the context of tobacco.

It is surprising, for example, that the caution sounded earlier by prominent researchers in the tobacco area, such as Tollison and Wagner in the United States, in their analysis of the economics of smoking, was not heeded.

That work addressed specific challenges for research in attempting to attribute deaths to a single factor. They pointed to errors in medical reporting of the causes of death, joint causes (for example, exercise, alcohol, occupation), and the fact that nonsmokers can be afflicted by the same illness as smokers.

Books and articles by academic lobbyists Tollison and Wagner are referenced repeatedly in the submission, and BAT PR executive Sharon Boyse recommends to David Bacon that they bring Tollison out to Australia.[15][16][17] Tollison and Wagner were the principals in the tobacco industry's "Cash for Comments Economists Network".[18]

The Tobacco Institute of Australia circulated the report to Philip Morris top executives in the USA.[19][20]

Parrish comments:[21]

• 1995 May 4: Philip Morris USA, PR executive Tom Borelli has circulated a Proposed Plan for Policy Outreach Groups. He is proposing an internal group dedicated to proactive network building. "Marry functions of Corporate Affairs with Issues Group into an Internal Think Tank Group with individuals each in charge of certain issues and certain policy groups."[22][23]
• 1996 March 6: George Brownbill, and David Trebeck (economists), are listed at ACIL House, 103-105 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia. They are working for British American Tobacco and the Tobacco Institute of India.[24]

References

1. https://www.copsmodels.com/monmod.htm
2. https://www.vu.edu.au/centre-of-policy-studies-cops
3. "Dr Michael Porter". Saxton. Archived from the original on 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
4. http://www.cis.org.au/
5. https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/11/1060588322537.html
6. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/ymfd0061
7. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/pfe51a99/pdf
8. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/xslm0112
9. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=PMxwDbnEBx4C&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=%22New+Zealand%22+%22Business+RoundTable%22+%22Tasman+Institute%22#v=onepage&q=%22New%20Zealand%22%20%22Business%20RoundTable%22%20%22Tasman%20Institute%22&f=false
10. https://cecaust.com.au/pubs/pdfs/Section3b.pdf
11. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/mhmk0154
12. http://mail.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Neoliberals_and_public_education_in_Australia
13. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/baq03e00/pdf
14. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/icz62e00/pdf
15. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/yye63a99/pdf
16. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/jscf0194
17. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/xmkb0199
18. https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Cash_for_Comments_Economists_Network
19. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/gnnb0110
20. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/nrxg0202
21. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/sghk0113
22. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/did97g00/pdf
23. http://industrydocuments.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/ryxg0202
24. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/frkb0207