Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last night I was mid-flight, talking about the history of tobacco excise in Australia. Given that I was cut off midstream, I think it is a good opportunity for me to recap some of the statistics that—

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—

Yes, I thought that would be a good idea, Senator Macdonald—to recap on some of the statistics around the importance of dealing with tobacco related and cancer related diseases. I mentioned yesterday the fundamental fact that tobacco was responsible for about 7.8 per cent of the total burden of disease and injury in Australia, as reported in 2003, which I am told is the equivalent of 15,000 deaths per year. And, as was noted by a number of other speakers in the debate, it is responsible for a cost of around $31.5 billion in health, social and economic related costs in the years 2004-05. You have to wonder where that cost is at today. So this merely highlights the importance of this piece of legislation as one of the suite of measures that have been put in place by this government to deal with smoking and smoking related diseases.

Some of the other statistics I went through yesterday related to our home state of Tasmania and where we stand with reference to the rest of the country. Some of those statistics were quite alarming. In terms of my own cohort, younger males in Tasmania between the ages of 25 and 34, about 40 per cent of that demographic are smokers. Then you move up to the 35- to 44-year-olds and it is not much lower—about 38.6 per cent—far too high, as I said yesterday. I think most senators in this chamber would agree.

The one most concerning statistic about the health and wellbeing of younger Tasmanians, as I said yesterday, is that Tasmania continues to have the highest proportion of women who smoke during pregnancy. That is not just impacting the individual smoking, but the unborn child. The prevalence of young women smoking during pregnancy in Tasmania was 35.7 per cent for those under 20, and 30.8 per cent for those aged between 20 and 24. Amongst Indigenous Tasmanians it was found to be almost 50 per cent of the population in 2008—44.5 per cent.

I touched on the problems related to minors smoking tobacco in our state. The 2011 Australian secondary school alcohol and drug survey showed that six per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds were smokers. I certainly was not smoking back then. I did not really even have a good understanding of what these sticks that people were putting in their mouths were. But to learn that five years ago—and I hope that number has gone down—six per cent of people in that age group, 12 to 15 years of age, were smoking is just incredibly alarming. Then you move to the slightly higher age group 16- and 17-year-olds—still under the legal age—16 per cent of them have taken up the habit.

But the best statistic, I think, is in relation to how younger people have become aware over recent years—through various education campaigns, through the packaging legislation and the like, and various community attitudes which seem to be prevailing at the moment—about the impact that smoking has on one's health. The 2011 survey that I mentioned earlier on reported that 96 per cent of students agree that smoking causes lung cancer and harms unborn babies. So, while there are those alarming statistics, which I have recapped on now, I think it is great to know that young people, who have their whole lives ahead of them, are beginning to appreciate the damage they are doing to their bodies, and those around them, with reference to smoking.

I was also speaking about the history of tobacco laws, particularly the excise tax situation in Australia, but one thing I want to touch on in Tasmania are smoke-free zones. Over the years, there have been a number of legislative measures put in place in the state of Tasmania regarding restrictions on smoking in certain areas. We all know you cannot smoke in planes, workplaces and other obvious locations, but in Tasmania in the year 2001 it became illegal to smoke in workplaces and in enclosed public places, such as shopping centres, restaurants, factories, hospitals, corridors and toilets.

Further smoke-free areas were introduced in the state of Tasmania, including three metres outside entrances and exits of aforementioned locations; within 10 metres of ventilation equipment, air conditioning towers and things like that—which I think is a good move, because what is the point of restricting smoking inside if you are just going to blow it in through the air conditioning ducts; inside work vehicles and also in seating at cultural and sporting events and venues.

Then you move through to 2005, where gaming areas and nightclubs were added to that list, and then a 50 per cent portion of outdoor dining areas. In 2006 pubs and clubs and hotels in Tasmania became smoke-free on the inside—completely smoke-free. Then, fast-forwarding to 2012, there were new smoke-free areas introduced, including playgrounds, patrolled beaches, pedestrian and bus malls and bus shelters. Then it was 100 per cent of outdoor dining areas, which is something I recall in the local media in Tasmania caused a great deal of consternation around people wanting to enjoy a cigarette while having their meal or their drink. But I think for the most part people welcomed the right to have a meal without having to inhale their neighbouring table's smoke.

Then it was competition and seating areas at sporting events and other large public events. Later that year, carols by candlelight events were required to be smoke-free. The next year, 2013, selected markets and food and wine festivals and music festivals were added to the list. This was in addition to specific measures by the Hobart City Council and the Launceston City Council. And it is this combination of approaches to restricting where smoking can take place, and indeed measures like this—like the excise tax—which have helped Australia tackle the problem of smoking and the impact on health in our country. Thank you, Mr President.