Victorian Tobacco Control Strategy 2008-2013

On 22 December 2008 the Minister for Health announced the release of the Victorian Tobacco Control Strategy 2008-2013 (749kb, pdf).

This Strategy outlines the Government’s five year plan for tobacco control in Victoria and renews its drive to reducing the toll of tobacco in this State.

Demonstrating its commitment to consulting with the public, industry, health sector, business and other groups, the Government released the Victorian Tobacco Control Strategy 2008-2013 Consultation Submission Guide (378kb, pdf) for public consultation in August this year.

Submissions to the consultation reveal overwhelming public support for a number of the initiatives contained in this Strategy.

With a series of legislative reforms and programs, this Strategy aims to:

• reduce smoking among adults by 20 per cent;
• reduce smoking among pregnant women by 50 per cent;
• reduce smoking among Aboriginal and other high prevalence groups by at least 20 per cent.

This Strategy will achieve these ambitious targets by:

• banning point of sale displays in retail outlets (effective 1 January 2011);
• banning smoking in cars carrying children under 18 years of age (effective 1 January 2010);
• banning the sale of cigarettes from temporary outlets (effective 1 January 2010);
• providing the Minister with the power to ban youth-orientated tobacco products and packages (effective 1 January 2010);
• banning smoking on Government school grounds (effective 1 July 2009).

The five years of this Strategy will see continued investment in anti-smoking social marketing and intensive efforts to assist pregnant women and groups with high rates of smoking to quit and stay quit. Driving this challenging agenda will be a taskforce led by leaders in the field of tobacco control.

Continuing support from the public, health professionals, industry and the non-government sector will help to ensure that the goals of this Strategy are achieved.