The NSW Government is committed to reducing the harm caused by tobacco smoking and improving the health of Aboriginal people.
In NSW, the smoking rates among Aboriginal people remains high despite some significant decreases in the smoking rates in the general population.
Health Stats NSW​​ shows that in 2023, 21.9 per cent of Aboriginal adults aged 16 years and over smoked daily compared to 7.7 per cent for non-Aboriginal people.
Aboriginal people also experience high rates of chronic disease due to smoking, and as a result one in five Aboriginal people will die prematurely from a tobacco-related illness.
Reducing the high rates of tobacco smoking among Aboriginal people will improve quality of life and help to close the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
A framework for guiding action on Aboriginal tobacco resistance and control
The NSW Ministry of Health and the AH&MRC worked in partnership to develop the ATRAC Framework: A Strategic Framework for Aboriginal Tobacco Resistance and Control in NSW to assist in planning and coordinating efforts to reduce smoking among Aboriginal people. The Framework aims to achieve integrated, coordinated and client-focused approaches to addressing smoking rates among Aboriginal people in NSW. It outlines evidence, key principles and best practice approaches to achieving this aim.
NSW Health is committed to ensuring all Aboriginal tobacco control activity is guided and informed by the ATRAC Framework.
NSW Health partnership initiatives
NSW Health works in partnership with Aboriginal communities and other stakeholders to enhance coordination and integration of service, maintain connectedness and promote the sharing of experiences, information and evidence. Partnership initiatives include:
- training Aboriginal Health Workers to improve their skills in cessation advice and community based tobacco control programs
- supporting Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in their efforts to address smoking among their clients and in their local communities
- enhancing the Quitline service to include Aboriginal Quitline to better support Aboriginal callers
- supporting the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network and Corrective Services NSW to decrease smoking among Aboriginal people in custody.
