Category: Tobacco
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Calling time on tobacco vending machines
Dr Christina Watts, Dr Natalia Lizama and Professor Suzan Burton Many of us know someone who only smokes when they drink. Perhaps they’re a former smoker, are currently trying to quit, or only feel compelled to smoke when they’re at the pub. This isn’t merely anecdotal – there is strong evidence…
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Parliament overhauls national tobacco law
Malcolm Baalman, Public Health Association of Australia Arguably the most important item of public health legislation to be addressed by our national Parliament in over a decade was finally approved by the Senate last week. The Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Bill 2023 is the result of a 4-year…
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Fully revised tobacco law will put us back on target
By Malcolm Baalman Senior Policy and Advocacy Adviser, PHAA A major piece of public health legislation is making its way through Parliament this month. In November 2022, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the introduction of plain packaging in Australia, Minister for Health Mark Butler, announced that the Government would consolidate into…
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It’s time for tobacco retailers to pay a higher fee
PHAA New research has prompted experts to call on all Australian Governments to adopt a higher standard of tobacco licensing regulation, including higher fees, to help drive down smoking rates. Tobacco licensing was changed significantly in South Australia in January 2007, when the annual cost of retail tobacco licences rose…
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Advocacy strategies for advancing health in all policies: what works for trade policymaking?
Dr Belinda Townsend, Australian Research Centre for Health Equity, Australian National University, Ms Brigitte Tenni, School of Psychology and Population Health, La Trobe University & Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Ms Sharni Goldman, Australian Research Centre for Health Equity, Australian National University & Associate Prof Deborah Gleeson,…
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‘Sounds Like’ it’s time to quit smoking
Neeka Zamani, Cancer Council WA Editor’s note: In the first of a series of Western Australia-based blogs published on Intouch, Neeka Zamani from Cancer Council WA outlines the renewal of a campaign focused on ‘warning signs’ and smoking. Tobacco use is still the largest cause of preventable death and…
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Cutting a path through the bush: the benefits of comprehensive measures
PHAA CEO, Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin Health Minister Mark Butler’s National Press Club address on 2 May 2023 was a watershed moment when it comes to public health in Australia. He announced a wide-ranging package of measures to tackle the public health scourge of tobacco and vaping. It included a…
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On World No Tobacco Day, read an expert’s perspective on e-cigarettes
Editor’s note: Today, Wednesday 31 May, marks World No Tobacco Day. Yesterday, Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis spoke before the Health and Environment Committee on their inquiry into reducing rates of e-cigarette use in Queensland. Read her opening statement below. Associate Professor Michelle Jongenelis Thank you for the opportunity to appear…
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Why the ban on single use e-cigarettes is good for EVs
Vincent So, CEO, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand As part of the Federal Budget, Health Minister Mark Butler announced a ban on the importation of single use e-cigarettes (vapes), non-prescription e-cigarettes, and the sale of e-cigarettes outside of pharmacies. There has already been significant coverage on e-cigarette…
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‘A buzz of excitement’: Prof Jacquie Bowden gives wrap up of Preventive Health Conference 2023
Image: Members of the Prevention 2023 Conference Advisory Committee. Top row L-R: Stephanie Kilpatrick, Mary Brushe, Stephen Harfield, Prof Jacquie Bowden. Bottom row L-R: Prof James Smith, Erin Bowen, Adj Prof Terry Slevin, Christine Morris, Laurianne Reinsborough, Dr Anna Chevalier. Professor Jacquie Bowden, Chair of the Preventive Health Conference…
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Aotearoa provides guidance on the next phase of tobacco control measures in Australia: more of the same is not enough
Dr Raglan Maddox, Catherine Manning, Prof Raymond Lovett, Assoc Prof Lisa Whop, Selah Hart, Dr Michelle Kennedy, Assoc Prof El-Shadan Tautolo, Shane Kawenata Bradbrook, Prof Tom Calma AO and Anaru Waa What is Aotearoa/New Zealand doing? Māori in Aotearoa/New Zealand were among the first to call for a Tupeka Kore (tobacco…
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‘Dispelling the smoke to reflect the mirror’: the time is now to eliminate tobacco related harms
Helen Tran, PHAA Intern A recently published commentary by Maddox et al in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health highlights the opportunity that has presented itself for a “smoke free future” and nicotine free generations. A future which is looking more possible with Australia’s recent Consultation Draft…
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No butts about stopping tobacco damaging the environment
On this World No Tobacco Day, we remember another victim of the tobacco industry – the environment Dr Michelle I Jongenelis, University of Melbourne, Dr Sarah L White, Quit Victoria, and Kate Noble, WWF Australia May 31st marks World No Tobacco Day. An initiative of the World Health Organization, World No…
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An election campaign bereft of prevention efforts that could save lives: Daube
Emeritus Professor Mike Daube AO, PHAA President (2007-2010) Another day, another election spending announcement. Both major parties are promising funding for all manner of purposes – billions for national programs, millions for local projects – even $4.5 million for a Tasmanian distillery. In recent times politicians from all reputable parties…
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Public health measures can help balance the Budget
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin – PHAA CEO This post is the second in our series of articles exploring the PHAA’s 2022-23 pre-Budget submission, The Public Health Crisis Budget. Read the first post here. Government revenue, primarily gathered through taxes, is and always has been, a fundamentally political issue. Governments need…
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Powerful pair recognised for decades of persistence at tobacco control
Paris Lord – PHAA Editor’s note: this Intouch post is longer than usual, but is worth your time, particularly if you can remember how ubiquitous smoking and its advertising was in Australia, and the efforts it took to counter that. It’s New Year’s Day 1992. Ascot race course, Perth.…
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Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia ‘get-tough’ against vaping as new ANZJPH report shows widespread use in Kiwi schools
Jeremy Lasek – PHAA It’s now just over 100 days since Australia introduced strict new laws which mean you can no longer buy nicotine vaping products without a doctor’s prescription. Apart from pharmacies dispensing nicotine vaping to patients with a prescription, it’s illegal for any other Australian retailers, including vape…
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Despite a downward trend, smoking is still taking too many Australian lives
Jeremy Lasek – PHAA While the prevalence of smoking has steadily declined (by 75%) in the last 40 years in Australia, it still contributes to around 20,000 deaths a year – that’s 20 times more than the number of deaths on our roads. Tobacco is also the leading cause of…
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PHAA recognises our 2021 Emerging Leader, e-cigarette expert, Dr Michelle Jongenelis
How often do we hear this response? When we asked the winner of the PHAA’s Emerging Leader Award for 2021, Dr Michelle Jongenelis, why she chose a career in public health, her immediate response was “public health chose me!’’ Michelle’s public health journey began in 2014, but what she may…
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This ain’t no ‘puff piece’: John Safran takes aim at Philip Morris and doesn’t miss
Jeremy Lasek – PHAA John Safran has made a career out of probing society’s fringes for satire. Now the perpetual provocateur takes on the biggest cigarette company on the planet. Three years ago, tobacco giant Philip Morris shocked the world when it announced it was moving away from cigarettes and…
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Formula 1 Wheels Are Smoking: Tobacco Industry’s Interminable Advertising Influence in Sport
Mary-Anne Land – PHAA In 2021, the tobacco industry is projected to spend more than $100 million on Formula 1 sponsorship. The staggering amount confirms a concerning trend: tobacco industry spending in F1 has increased, reaching its highest levels since 2006—the year tobacco companies were supposed to be banned from…
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2021 NAIDOC Week: Vital new research will help ‘Heal Country’
Public Health Association of Australia In this NAIDOC Week 2021, the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) embraces First Nations Peoples’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia’s national heritage. This year’s NAIDOC theme, ‘Heal Country!’ resonates strongly with the PHAA team, as it calls for stronger…
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National Preventive Health Strategy: realising the opportunity to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes by addressing tobacco use
With the Commonwealth Government’s National Preventive Health Strategy due for finalisation in the coming months, Dr Raglan Maddox, Professor Tom Calma AO, Dr Katherine Thurber and Associate Professor Raymond Lovett consider the opportunity to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes through a renewed urgent focus on tobacco use.…
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How unhealthy industries shape public opinions on health policy
Elly Howse Many of us working, teaching and researching in public health are aware of the impact of the commercial or corporate determinants of health – namely, how private sector companies and groups seek to influence decision making and promote the manufacturing, sale and consumption of unhealthy products and practices.…
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More Deadly News: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tobacco use continues to go down
NAIDOC Week 2020 Raglan Maddox, Katherine A. Thurber, Tom Calma, Glen Benton, Emily Banks, Raymond Lovett Smoking is a leading contributor to many illnesses and the single biggest contributor to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths. An article published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Deadly…
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Fact or Fiction? Debunking the myths around e-cigarettes
Michelle Jongenelis, Christina Watts and Maurice Swanson E-cigarettes have clearly made their way into Australian society. So, what’s the problem? Well, for a start, there’s a lot misinformation about them. According to reports this week, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has made an interim decision that nicotine-based e-cigarettes will be available for…
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Tobacco control was the best buy in health then, and it’s still the best buy now: an interview with Dr Michael Wooldridge
Michael Wooldridge and Paul Grogan Image: German brother drivers Michael Schumacher on left and Ralf Schumacher walk along the track after the traditional drivers’ photo session at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne, Sunday, March 9, 1997. (AP Photo/Steve Holland) The late 1990s marked a turning…
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Smoking rates falling among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Christina Heris and David Thomas Following a history of being paid or provided with rations of tobacco, smoking is the leading preventable cause of illness and death amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Historically, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people start smoking at a young age, and a…
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Making tobacco companies responsible for our most common item of litter
Cigarette butts have long been the most common item of litter globally. About four and a half trillion cigarette butts are disposed of in the environment each year. Despite the decrease in the number of smokers in Australia, butts remain the single most common item of litter.