By Julian Drape of AAP

Family First senator Steve Fielding says he's prepared to take on big tobacco and push for plain cigarette packaging, regardless of the federal government's final position.

Health groups have long lobbied for a ban on advertising on cigarette packets, and the government's Health Preventative Taskforce has taken a similar view.

Senator Fielding says he'll introduce legislation to the Senate mandating plain labelling when parliament resumes after the winter break.

"What we are proposing is to stop using cigarette packets as a billboard for promoting smoking," he told reporters while holding an oversized packet of smokes.

"Cigarette packaging should be plain labels ... removing the promotion and the branding."

He wants health warnings to cover the entire packet.

Smoking kills 15,000 Australians every year and costs the community about $12 billion.

Senator Fielding hopes to work with Health Minister Nicola Roxon when drafting his legislation, but admits he hasn't raised the issue with her yet.

Labor should be prepared to stand up to the tobacco giants, he said.

"I'm hoping to work in a bipartisan way with both Labor and the coalition, but if the Rudd government won't do it then we'll do it.

"Big tobacco will kick up a big fuss about this, but that just proves that it needs to be done."

Ms Roxon was not immediately available for comment.

She has previously said the government would wait for the preventative taskforce's final report before deciding on further measures to combat smoking.

That report was presented to the health minister on Tuesday.

In a discussion paper released publicly late last year, the taskforce said mandatory plain packaging was needed if smoking rates were to be halved by 2020.

AAP