Australia to consider a class action against tobacco industry

The chief law officers of Australia and New Zealand are to examine the legal options for a massive multibillion pound action against tobacco companies to recover the costs of treating smoking related diseases.

The attorneys general have decided to establish a working party to assess the viability of a class action in a similar case to one in the United Sates, in which the tobacco companies were ordered to pay $200bn (£125bn) in compensation over 25 years.

Queensland's attorney general, …