The opposition will not back parts of the plain tobacco packaging bill because it would give the government power to revise trademark conditions by “ministerial diktat”, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The opposition said earlier it would support the plain packaging bill, but it says it will not support amendments to the trademark laws.
The trademarks amendment bill, as proposed by the government, would allow tobacco firms to use company trademarks elsewhere, while the plain packaging bill bans trademarks from cigarette packs.
The coalition's spokesman on the issue, Dr Andrew Southcott, said that the effect of the legislation would enable the government to introduce regulations over-riding trademark law – a rare and worrying extension of executive power.
A government source countered that the amendment would merely give “an additional level of assurance for trademark owners that the government will be able to regulate quickly to address any areas of ambiguity should trademark protections be challenged as a result of the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill.” (pi)