Australia wide smoking prevalence figures for 1971 were 45% of Australian males and around 29 % of females. However, in the thirty five years since then we have seen a dramatic fall in Australian smoking where the percentage of the Australian population who now smoke daily is 17.4%; but it is even better news here, with the rate in WA being only 15.5%. 

In WA, this is due to a number of strategies that have been taken by ACOSH and its member organisations. Needless to say Bob Elphick was a driving force within ACOSH. Bob spent his life working in the service of public medicine and was a pioneer in tobacco control in Western Australia. Bob was also the greatly admired and highly respected founding President of ACOSH.

Sadly, Bob passed away in December 2005. ACOSH wanted to acknowledge his pioneering work in tobacco control in WA. It is with great pleasure that we have established the "Bob Elphick Medal" to commemorate the exceptional achievements and contribution of ACOSH’s long-time President Dr. Bob Elphick. It will be awarded annually, by the decision of the Council, to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to tobacco control in Western Australia during the previous year. The inaugural recipient in 2006 was the Minister for Health, the Hon. Jim McGinty.