Page 1957 - Week 07 - Thursday, 31 May 1990
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teachers, health professionals or individuals with a high profile - for example, those in the music industry - smoke, then children will see smoking as acceptable behaviour.
The Alliance Government has already demonstrated its commitment to addressing the problems associated with adult smoking through its decision to expand the ACT Quits smoking cessation service from a part-time to a full-time service. As a result of this decision, specialist information and smoking cessation services will be accessible to a wider range of individuals in the ACT community.
The statistics on cigarette smoking amongst young people are alarming. For example, in Australia each day more than 500 school children smoke their first cigarette. Each year 70,000 teenagers become regular smokers. If present smoking trends continue, 256,000 boys and 159,000 girls who are now under the age of 14 will die before their time because they smoked. Tobacco use has adverse health effects even with infrequent use. There is no completely safe level and form of tobacco use.
Children and youth need to recognise that you do not need to smoke to have fun. To help achieve this, the 1990 Rock Eisteddfod in the ACT is being sponsored through the health promotion fund in conjunction with the "quit for life" campaign. The Rock Eisteddfod is a friendly competition covering several States and the ACT. It provides high school students with an opportunity to produce a piece of live entertainment which expresses a theme of their choice through rock'n'roll music. The competition presents an anti-smoking theme in a positive environment and is enjoyed by both participants and audience alike.
Education on smoking and health issues is an important part of any activity aimed at smoking control. Education as part of a comprehensive program can prevent the onset of tobacco use and produce a reduction in smoking levels in adults and children. The ACT Health Department has been instrumental in developing and implementing peer education programs aimed, in part, at preventing tobacco use in school students and other youth. To assist those already dependent, I recently approved a grant to the ACT Cancer Society to establish a quit smoking program for adolescents. The program will be offered to secondary college students throughout the ACT and will provide encouragement and support to teenagers wishing to give up smoking.
The non-government sector has a vital role in complementing the Government in its provision of preventive and treatment services. As part of the activities to publicise World No Tobacco Day in the ACT, the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, the ACT Cancer Society, the ACT branch of the National Heart Foundation and the Alcohol and Drug Service of the ACT Department of Health have joined forces to educate the public on the benefits of
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