All states and territories have endorsed the National Tobacco Strategy 2012-2018, which works towards the goal of reducing the national smoking rate to 10% and halve the Indigenous smoking rate by 2018.
The strategy also sets out nine priority areas for action:
- Protect public health policy from tobacco industry interference.
- Strengthen mass media campaigns to: motivate smokers to quit and recent quitter to remain quit; discourage uptake of smoking; and reshape social norms about smoking.
- Continue to reduce the affordability of tobacco products.
- Bolster and build on existing programs and partnerships to reduce smoking rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- Strengthen efforts to reduce smoking among people in populations with a high prevalence of smoking.
- Eliminate remaining advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products.
- Consider further regulation of the contents, product disclosure and supply of tobacco products and alternative nicotine delivery systems.
- Reduce exception to smoke free workplaces, public places and other settings.
- Provide greater access to a range of evidence-based cessation services and support to help smokers quit.
These are all worthy and achievable aspirations, but it will only be reached if there is a continuing commitment to action on the part of all the states and territories, and the Australian Government. ACOSH has gathered state and territory data covering a broad range of legislation and policy to formulate a grid of Australian best practice. This grid can be used as an advocacy tool to push the states and territories toward achieving and surpassing demonstrated best practice in Australia, so that together we will achieve the goal and actions of the National Tobacco Strategy.
For more information please contact ACOSH on acosh@acosh.org or 08 6365 5436.