Leading manufacturer British American Tobacco Australia (BATA), on Tuesday launched a national media campaign against the Federal Government's proposed plan to impose plain packaging on cigarettes that could harm marketing and sales.

The BATA said in a press briefing that there is no known evidence that said packaging requirements can directly pull down rates of smokers.

BATA Chief Executive David Crow on Tuesday said Health Minister Nicola Roxon was refusing to meet with him to discuss the issue.

Mr Crow claims the planned piece of legislation in Australia will fuel the underground market in illegal tobacco products.

BATA had also written to Prime Minister Julia Gillard ahead of Tuesday's launch of a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to fight the initiative, which would make Australia the first country in the world to legislatively strip tobacco products of individual packaging.

"One of the Government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information (FOI) process demonstrates a lack of evidence to support the Federal Government's plan for plain packaging," said BATA in a statement on Tuesday.

Crow also warned of the potential for organized crime to profit from the Government's plain packaging plan, especially since illegal tobacco in Australia has grown 150 percent over the last three years, Reuters said.

He argued the government's bill would backfire because cheaper prices would lead to more people, including children, smoking.