The Australian Government is helping more Australians to quit smoking, including those living in regional and remote areas.
Tobacco smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Australia and the number of people who smoke tobacco daily is higher in regional areas than major cities. People in remote and very remote areas are almost 3 times more likely to smoke daily than their city counterparts.
Quitting smoking can be hard, but there is now even more support available for everyone – no matter where in Australia they live. Two in 3 people who smoke say they would like to quit, and while quitting may take a few attempts, it’s never too late to try.
The government has boosted free quit support services, including:
- expanding and improving access to Quitline services nationally;
- developing an online national cessation platform, now live at quit.org.au;
- the newly redeveloped My QuitBuddy app to provide new features and support;
- updated smoking cessation resources; and
- updating clinical guidance for health practitioners.
These services help ensure everyone across Australia, from cities to regional and remote areas, can access free support to quit smoking.
The government is also delivering the ‘Give Up For Good’ public health campaign to raise awareness of the serious health harms caused by smoking and nicotine addiction. It is empowering people to give up smoking and vaping for good.
Find information, videos and resources at: health.gov.au/GiveUpForGood
For help to quit smoking:
- talk to a health professional
- call Quitline on 13 7848
- download the My QuitBuddy app
- visit quit.org.au
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“While Australia has some of the best smoking reduction rates in the world, nicotine addiction is still doing enormous damage to the health and the life expectancy of more than two million Australians who smoke cigarettes daily.
“Nicotine is highly addictive and before you know it, what starts as an occasional thing becomes something much more serious. But it’s never too late to quit.”
“If you are worried about the hold that nicotine has over you, remember that help is there. You can call Quitline on 13 7848, visit quit.org.au, talk to a health professional, or download the My QuitBuddy app.
Quotes attributable to Megan Varlow, Director of Cancer Control Policy, Cancer Council Australia:
“We know that many smokers want to quit. Most people who quit notice changes straight away. They might find it a little easier to breathe, to do other sorts of activities in their daily life and a sense of relief in some cases that they're no longer having to reach for their cigarette all of the time.
“Quitting is something that may take a while for some people, and continuing to keep at it is really important. There are lots of supports that are available to people who would like to quit smoking.”
Contact details:
Fenton Communications
Contact: Melanie Wilkinson or Kate Richardson: (03) 8537 2750 or 0418 105 913, [email protected]