Tackling Indigenous smoking: a good news story in Australian tobacco control.

There is good news to tell about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tobacco control: smoking prevalence is falling and government funding has been secured in a climate of under-investment in prevention. The Australian Government has committed to funding the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program until 2022. The program continues to fund 37 regional teams with a focus on localised health promotion. This localised activity has been supported by two national Indigenous mass-media campaigns, individual cessation advice provided by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and via the Australian quit-smoking helpline, Quitline. But some state governments could do more to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tobacco control. National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking prevalence is falling, with significant falls in urban and regional areas where most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live. However, there has been little improvement in remote areas and this has become an area of future focus, with three additional Tackling Indigenous Smoking teams announced in remote areas in 2020. We can celebrate the recent achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tobacco control and the current and emerging leaders who are ready for future challenges from the tobacco industry.
Competing Interests: TC is the the National Coordinator for Tackling Indigenous Smoking. DT is part of the team evaluating the impact of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking regional teams. After this manuscript was submitted and accepted, DT received funding from the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program to assist coordination of tobacco control in the Northern Territory.