Australian Tobacco Control Achievements

With the historic implementation of plain tobacco packaging in December 2012, Australia has arguably the most comprehensive system of tobacco control policy and practice of any nation. Daily smoking prevalence in those aged 14+ was 12.8% (in 2013) with the next data set due later this year. Australia vies with Canada to have the lowest smoking prevalence of any nation. This presentation will outline the leading factors contributing to the decline, emphasising the population rather than individual/clinical focus of policies and programs; the interrelationship of distal and proximal factors in understanding the dynamics of the decline; and the vital role of media advocacy over decades that has conditioned public and political awareness and values, essential for fomenting policy change