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• Tobacco bill glitch goes up in smoke  

THE State Government has blamed a clerical error for the inclusion of a clause in its anti-tobacco advertising legislation that would have bypassed existing ad bans and allowed tobacco companies to sponsor high-profile sports such as motor racing and horse racing.

The Premier, Nathan Rees, made the embarrassing admission after his Health Department came under fire for inserting the clause into a bill drawn up to curb sale of cigarettes to minors.

Asked whether tobacco companies would be allowed to sponsor V8 Supercars, which will hold a race at Homebush Bay next year, Mr Rees said "no" and added: "The advice to me is that it was a drafting error and we are going to fix it. If there is a loophole, we will fix it."

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