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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 3560 ..

The recent Smoke-free Areas public education program for the changes that came into effect in the licensed premises on the 10 November 1998 cost $40,600. In the previous business year the Phase III Smoke-free public and proprietor campaign cost $20,000.

Implementation, compliance and exemptions program in the current business plan for the Smoke-free Areas Act is estimated at $73,458.00, including wages. The Tobacco Act education is targeted at tobacco retailers to educate them on their responsibilities under the law. Advertising, promotion and sales of the implementation and compliance program in the current business plan for the Tobacco Act is estimated at $58,450.00, including wages.

In the last financial year expenditure for programs encouraging people not to smoke through Healthpact was:
$155,000 - ACT Cancer Society
$200,000 - Sponsorship (sporting events etc)

Money was also spent on other areas of drug education eg:
$ 23,000 - Grants
$ 64,000 - Sponsorship
$ 9,000 - Alcohol and Drug Program

The Department funds the ACT Cancer Society $42,650 for tobacco specific interventions. Other agencies in the drug and alcohol sector also include tobacco as part of their broader strategies, eg WIREDD (Women's Information Referral and Education on Drugs of Dependence) and Karralika (therapeutic residential community) both have smoking cessation or awareness as part of the programs (exact figures are unquantifiable).

Healthpact are the major funders of tobacco education programs in the ACT and were responsible for funding the ACT Cancer Society Teenage QUIT Program.

3. Can the Minister give an idea of the success rate of these programs over the years? Are there any figures?

The ACT Cancer Society has recently developed, implemented and evaluated a school drug education program on smoking amongst early high school students. The independent evaluation of the program has shown some very encouraging results with quite strong attitudinal and behavioural changes being reported by students. After completion of the 6 week program several students had ceased smoking, several intended to quit or reduced their smoking, and several declared that as a result of the program, they plan never to take up smoking. Many schools have shown interest in implementing this program.

During 1995 in the ACT 21 per cent of adults were smokers, 29 per cent were ex-smokers and 49 per cent had never smoked. These results compare favourably with the rest of Australia at 24 per cent, 27 per cent and 49 per cent respectively. In Australia the proportion of adults who smoke has decreased over the period from 1977 to 1995, while the number of ex-smokers has increased.

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