Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

You ask me about tobacco initiatives under the budget, which I am happy to respond to. We are expanding in excess of $100 million on tobacco initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. We understand, as I am sure you do, that cutting tobacco consumption rates amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is an absolute must. Around 50 per cent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoke compared to around 16.7 per cent of the general population. If we are to actually close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy, it is imperative that we actually get people off smokes. That requires us doing a range of things. One of those is that we have employed a national Indigenous tobacco coordinator, Tom Calma, to oversee the implementation of our program. We have involved tobacco action workers in 57 regions across Australia and tobacco action coordinators. Their job is to work with the communities to try to, firstly, make people aware of the issues to do with tobacco consumption and its impact upon their health and the health of their communities and, secondly, ensure that they take action to reduce their own smoking rates.

Mr Deputy Speaker, you would be aware that this is no easy task. I know the member opposite is actually interested in this subject, so let me take him to more detail. You know and I know that the diseases associated with tobacco consumption lead to a lot shorter life expectancy amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians through vascular disease, diabetes, heart disease and cancer—the sorts of things that we know kill people. I make no apologies, and I am hoping from the shadow minister's question that he is supporting these initiatives. I assume he is. It is very important, as I say, if we are to close the gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the rest of the community that we address these sorts of issues.

I know that the member has got a fixation with tobacco companies and I understand that. I am not interested in tobacco companies in this debate. What am I keen on doing is getting consumption rates of tobacco down amongst the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. We have an objective of halving tobacco consumption rates amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community Australians by the end of the decade. If we can do that, that will make a substantial difference to their life expectancy. If we were to be able to bring down the tobacco consumption rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to what the rest of the population currently is, less than 17 per cent, then it is asserted that we would make a material difference across the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of increasing life expectancy between four and five years. That would have a material impact upon the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Mr Dutton interjecting—

Mr Deputy Speaker, this bloke wants to talk to you.

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