Smoking in Australia is restricted by both federal and state and territory law which bans smoking in enclosed public places, workplaces, in areas of public transport including airports and in some situations where children are present.
Tobacco smoking has been the most common form of smoking in Australia, but the proportion of the population who smoke daily has declined significantly to single digit rates as of 2023. Data collected by the Cancer Council of Victoria and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's National Drug Strategy Household Surveys in 2015 showed the most common form of tobacco smoked in Australia was factory made cigarettes. A study conducted by the International Tobacco Control (ITC) in 2006 showed "roll your own tobacco" was being utilised by 24% of smokers, who were more likely to be male and have lower levels of income and education than other smokers.
Unbranded loose tobacco, sometimes known as chop-chop in Australia, sold illegally without government taxation, was used by 9% of smokers in 2023 according to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey in that year. The high level of tobacco taxation, intended to reduce smoking rates, has made 'chop-chop' more attractive as a cheaper option and therefore utilised as an alternative to factory made cigarettes. Unlike other forms of smoking, the use of e-cigarettes or vapes has been increasing in Australia, with the proportion of the population who used a vape daily rising from 0.5% in 2016 to 3.5% in 2023, with 7% of the population considering themselves a current user.
Cannabis is another drug which can be smoked, including rolled in a cigarette. Cannabis in Australia is legal for use in some doctor-prescribed medicines, including via smoking. Recreational use of cannabis is illegal except in the Australian Capital Territory where it has been decriminalised. In 2023, 11.5% of the population had used cannabis recreationally within the last 12 months.
History
In the early 1700s, tobacco smoking was introduced to the north dwelling indigenous communities through the visitation of the Indonesian fishermen. However, the British customs and behaviour of the utilisation of tobacco was introduced into the Australian culture in 1788, due to the colonisation of Australia by the Europeans, and evidently, these tobacco related behaviours rapidly spread throughout the Aboriginal community, the free settlers and the convicts from Britain. When first introduced within Australia, the supply of tobacco was restricted within the Australian community, however by the 1800s tobacco was a fundamental item being used as a reward for a servants labour, or antagonistically used as a punishment for convicts, due to its addictive side effects. Eventually, by 1819, 80 to 90 percent of the labour force were smokers.
By the 1880s the production of cigarettes were completely mechanised, however was often chosen over dandies and larrikins. More importantly, the cheapness and ease of accessibility of these manufactured cigarettes, revolutionised the way Australians smoke tobacco. This cigarette was prevalent in the World War 1, as 60% of the tobacco rations donated to the trenches, were in the cigarette form. Cigarette use also rapidly increased up to 70% during World War 1, in contrast to the usage before the war.
In the 1920s, societal views began to transition of women partaking in smoking behaviours and thus over the next several decades companies began to advertise smoking to women. The introduction of women in the workforce, led to greater freedom of women, and hence smoking rates within Australia increased.
By the 1930s the Australian Government began assisting the tobacco industry by introducing the Local Leaf Content Scheme, which required local tobacco to be used up in the manufacturing of cigarettes in Australia. However, in the 1990s the Industry Commission Inquiry found that tobacco had the greatest subsidisation in agriculture within Australia, and thus the Local Leaf Content Scheme was abolished. As a result, the tobacco industry within Australia declined to the oncoming threat of international competition. Currently, no commercial farming of tobacco occurs within Australia, and all tobacco products are imported from overseas.
Smoking patterns in Australia
Decline in smoking Daily tobacco smoking in Australia has been declining since 1991, where the smoking population was 24.3%. Correspondingly, in 1995 23.8% of adults smoked daily. This figure also decreased in 2001, where 22.4% of the population used to smoke. This constant trend of the reduction of daily smoking has continued within these past 2 decades, with 16.1% of adults smoking in 2011–12, and finally 14.5% of the population smoking daily in 2014–15, which constitutes 2.6 million adults within Australia. However, most recently it was found that the smoking population of Australia in 2016 was 12.2%, and thus, the smoking population in Australia has almost halved since 1991.
Conversely, the rate of decline for smoking has become steady among recent years, with some sources arguing that the smoking percentage within Australia did not decline between the years of 2013 and 2016.
Smoking prevalence in all states and territories The daily smoking percentage in Northern Territory, has typically had the highest smoking rates within Australia. The high smoking rates within Northern Territory resonates with the high percentage of Indigenous individuals living there, as the smoking prevalence of the Indigenous in 2014–15 was 39%. Further, 26% of the Northern Territory population consists of individuals with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, which is 5% less in all the other states and territories within Australia. However, since 1995 Northern Territory has had the largest decrease in daily smoking rates in comparison to all other states, from 35.6% to 21% in 2014–15. +Daily smoking percentages of individuals 18+ in 2014–15, for each state and territory within AustraliaPercentages for daily smoking (%)New South Wales14Victoria14Queensland16South Australia13Western Australia14Tasmania18Northern Territory21Australian Capital Territory12
Smoking rates between males and females The smoking percentage of men in 2016 is 16%, while the smoking percentage of women is 12%. Men have consistently shown to have a higher tendency to smoke daily than women. However, daily smoking percentage for both males and females were 27.3% and 20.3% respectively in 1995, expounding a significant reduction in smoking prevalence for both genders.
In 2017–18, men aged 18–24 years, around 17.5% of that age bracket smoked daily. This percentage remained constant for all age groups until the age of 55–64, were the daily smoking percentage dropped to 16.5%. This figure for daily smoking, further decreased for men at the age of 75+, dropping to a percentage of 5.1%.
Conversely, in 2017–18 it was found that women between the ages of 18 and 24, had a daily smoking percentage of 17.5%. This figure increased to 14.7% of women between the ages of 45 and 54, and eventually decreasing to 7.5% for women between the ages of 65 and 74. Finally, this percentage further dropped to 3.7%, to women 75+.
Deaths and health related risk factors caused by smoking in Australia
Smoking is the direct cause of the greatest number of preventable deaths in Australia, with a death toll of 15,500 every year. Smoking has a causative association with a myriad of other types of diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and different forms of cancers. In particular, cancers were found to be the leading cause of tobacco-related deaths. Of all deaths caused by smoking in Australia,Lung cancer is the most common cause. In 2003, tobacco was found to be responsible for 7.8% of disease and injury that occurred within Australia. +Diseases directly attributable by tobacco within Australia in 2011DiseasePercentage of total burden attributable to tobaccoLung cancer30.6COPD29.7Coronary heart disease12.4Stroke3.9Oesophageal cancer3.2Asthma2.6Pancreatic cancer2.6Mouth and pharyngeal cancer2Bowel cancer1.8Other cardiovascular disease1.6Liver cancer1.5Bladder cancer1.4Diabetes0.9Atrial fibrillation and flutter0.9Leukaemia0.8Stomach cancer0.8Kidney cancer0.8Interstitial lung disease0.7Other respiratory disease0.7Aortic aneurysm0.5Peripheral vascular disease0.2Hypertensive heart disease0.2Cervical cancer0.2Lower respiratory infections0.1Tuberculosis0.0Influenza0.0Otitis media0.0
Underage smoking
Smoking prevalence of underage adults The smoking prevalence of underage adults in Australia has oscillated over time. During the 1980s, smoking rates among young adults began to decrease, but increased during the early 1990s, while finally in the 1996, this percentage began to decrease again. Most recently, in 2017, the underage smoking population in Australia was found to be the lowest ever recorded.
The downward trend of the reduction of smoking amongst underage individuals from the late 1990s, was accompanied with the introduction of the National Tobacco Campaign. Although failing to reduce the smoking prevalence amongst adults within Australia, the campaign proved to be a success in reducing smoke rates amongst young adults. Factors such as tobacco taxes and stricter laws to restrict tobacco sales to minors, also played a huge role in decreasing the smoking prevalence amongst the youth. Likewise, the decline in smoking rates from 2011 to 2014 came in light of the establishment of the National Tobacco Strategy in 2012, and a myriad of other factors such as the new plain packaging laws, and introducing more smoke free environments. The slow decline of smoking rates among underage individuals, in recent years can be from a result of less government funded media campaigns and the introduction of new tobacco products within Australia, that entice young adults to smoke.
Accessibility of cigarettes to young adults
In 1996, it was found that 35% of males and 40% of females aged 12–17, most commonly obtained cigarettes through their friends. This way of young adults accessing cigarettes remained as the main source of cigarette accessibility for males, whilst decreasing with age for females. Nonetheless, for male and female young adults between the ages of 16 and 17, the primary source of cigarette accessibility was through illegal purchases in stores, as 45% of females and 55% of males in this age category reported to have purchased their own cigarettes. The second most frequent way that young adults between the ages of 12 and 15 acquired cigarettes was from older individuals who obtained the cigarettes for them. Underage Australian students who participated in smoking purchased cigarettes most commonly from outlets such as retail markets and service stations. It was found that 29% of smokers aged 12 obtained cigarettes from vending machines, in comparison to 5% of older teenagers who obtained cigarettes in this manner. The purchase of single cigarettes was also a common way that underage smokers obtained cigarettes, with 21% of males and 12% of females purchasing single cigarettes regardless of the illegality of individual sale. Rates of purchase of individual cigarettes decreases as the purchaser's age increases, with 29% of 12 year old smokers reporting purchase of single cigarettes in comparison to 5% of individuals between 16 and 17 years of age purchasing single cigarettes.
+Underage tobacco use among students in 2018Percentage of high school students (%)Electronic cigarettes20.8Cigarettes8.1Cigar7.6Smokeless tobacco5.9Hookahs4.1Pipe tobacco1.1
Underage smoking laws
Western Australia