Australian Health Groups Echo NZ Call for Smoke-free Future

The National Heart Foundation of Australia, The Cancer Council Australia and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have supported a call by their New Zealand counterparts for a smoke-free New Zealand by 2017.

Representatives from the Australian health organisations said they welcomed and applauded the establishment of a vision for a smoke-free New Zealand.”We share their objective that one day smoking will be history,” Heart Foundation national tobacco spokesperson, Maurice Swanson, said.”Subject to an appropriate level of commitment from the Australian FederalGovernment, it is possible that Australia could be smoke-free within 10 years.”To this end, we urge the next Federal Government to allocate 2% of the revenue from tobacco tax to support the implementation of Australia’s National Tobacco Strategy, including the re-establishment of the National Tobacco Campaign.”The Federal Government collects nearly $7 billion in tobacco tax each year. With just 2% of this income committed to tackling smoking, the next Australian Government could protect future generations’ children and save the lives of many thousands of smokers who would otherwise continue smoking without the help of improved support services.”Anita Tang, Chair of The Cancer Council Australia’s Tobacco Issues Committee, said a comprehensive national tobacco strategy included a range of measures that evidence showed would substantially reduce smoking rates.”With almost one in five Australians smoking, there is a clear need to do more to reduce the serious risk of death and disease caused by tobacco use,” she said.Ms Tang said measures governments could take to reduce smoking rates included:

• removing tobacco displays in shops;
• improving access and availability of nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers and other medicines that help smokers quit;
• licensing schemes to regulate the retailing of tobacco products;
• introducing plain packaging for all tobacco products; prohibiting the sale of cigarettes with flavours, aromas and additives that make products more palatable and appealing to young people; and
• more effective services and supports for those wanting to quit smoking.

Anne Jones, Chief Executive Officer of ASH, said driving smoking rates down to one or two per cent was achievable within 10 years, if governments commit to a fully funded, comprehensive strategy.(Source: The Cancer Council Australia : September 2007)