The Australia government has decried the use of its icon, the kangaroo, in cigarette packs being sold in Europe. Also written in the cigarette boxes is the slogan "An Australian Favourite."

Australia's Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has reportedly told the British American Tobacco to "get your hands off our icons."

An anti-smoking advocate has dubbed the image the "cancer kangaroo".

The discovery of the controversial cigarette design comes as British American Tobacco prepares to fight the Australian Government in the High Court over a proposal to enforce plain cigarette packaging.

In November last year, laws banning brand labels on cigarette packaging have been passed by the Australian Senate, their last key hurdle before coming into effect.

The move removes brand colours and logos from cigarette packaging. Instead, the government is proposing that cigarettes will be sold in olive green cartons with graphic images warning of the consequences of smoking.

"It will give our country the best chance of having the lowest smoking rates and, of course, that will mean many lives are saved and many families that don't go through the grief and pain of seeing someone die because of a tobacco-related illness," Roxon had said.

The Attorney-General, who pioneered the plain packaging proposal, said it was "outrageous" Australia's healthy lifestyle was being used by big tobacco to market their products.

"I think many Australians are going to be outraged that a big tobacco company all the way round the world is using Australia's healthy lifestyle to market their deadly products," she told reporters.