Key Moments in events for anti-smoking in Australia

  • Govt. Strategies and/or Excise (tax)

    Federal government first introduces an excise tax on tobacco products.
  • Education

    In Western Australia, the Education Department produce lessons on Laws of Health on ‘tobacco smoking', the syllabus included a section on ‘Why boys should not smoke’.
  • Govt. Strategies

    Legislation, the Western Australian law is introduced to curb smoking by juveniles, the law in Western Australia is part of a liquor act, which makes 18 the legal age of smoking and drinking. From this year there was more legislation advertisement and legislation bans that had continued since then, especially since the 2000s when smoke-free legislations came into play.
  • Govt. Strategies

    First Federal Education campaign is the ‘Nation Warning against Smoking’ conducted between 1972 and 1975 at a cost of $1.5 billion. Then 25 years later the National Tobacco Campaign was announced, then in 2000 the National Tobacco Campaign was launched. After this campaigns continued to grow and more advertising campaigns were even more frequent due to the first campaign.
  • Warnings

    Health warnings first shown on cigarette packets in Australia. Advertisement continued from this year on, especially labelling on packs of cigarettes continued to show new and different health issues/warnings.
  • Advertising

    Cigarette advertising bans being announced on radios and televisions. More advertisement continued from this including advertisement on smoking bans in magazines and newspapers.
  • Smoke-free Areas

    Commonwealth Department of Health becomes smoke-free, and all other Commonwealth public service departments become smoke-free. From this year onwards smoke-free areas continued to grow around Australia, areas such as: flights, cinemas, buses, buildings, restaurants, gaming stadiums/areas and many more.
  • Govt. Strategies

    ACT bans most remaining forms of advertising and raises the age of sales for cigarettes for minors of the age 18. Continuing from that a new law had stated people under 18-years were restricted from buying cigarettes.
  • Govt. Strategies

    Federal Government announces permanent ban on the importation, manufacture, sale, supply and advertising of chewing tobacco and oral snuff.
  • Govt. Strategies

    Nicotine patches became available. These patches were approved for use in Australia and are available on prescription. Nicotine Replacement Therapy was then introduced (1997) in over-the-counter-sales, one nicotine replacement was the inhaler under the brand of Nicorette.
  • Govt. Strategies

    It was decided that the Health Australia review of health promotion in Australia is to include a National Tobacco Strategy. The Strategy than begun at work in 1998, then was announced in 1999 in Australia.
  • Advertising

    Graphic anti-smoking ads go to air; this is including packages as well.
  • Govt. Strategies and/or Excise (tax)

    Smoking inside pubs and clubs is banned in every Australian state. The tobacco excise increases by 25 per cent.