Joshua Trigg, Jacqueline Bowden, Richard Edwards, Billie Bonevski
The Australian state of South Australia is currently considering legislative reforms that will put in place a Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG) policy, precluding the sale and supply of tobacco products to people born on or after 1 January 2007. This tobacco control policy approach aims to bring the tobacco epidemic to an end, and is strongly supported by peak health bodies across Australia.
The Tobacco and E-Cigarette Products (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2024, is a Private Members Bill introduced by independent Hon. Frank Pangallo Member of Legislative Council (Upper House of the South Australian Parliament), which passed through the state Legislative Council on 25 September 2024. The Bill faced no opposition by the major political parties, and was openly supported by one, the Greens. Both houses must pass the bill before it can be signed into law. As it is likely to be considered by the House of Assembly (Lower House) by early 2025, the cutoff date may require updating, and access to therapeutic supply of electronic cigarettes further consideration.
In the same week, South Australia passed further tobacco control reforms introduced by the Labor government to reduce second-hand exposure to tobacco and vaping products and increase licensing controls and penalties for illegal sale and supply of tobacco products. There is a fertile context in which to implement a TFG policy, with both Commonwealth and State Government actively progressing tobacco control policy reforms, and a State Tobacco Control Strategy that aims to achieve smoking prevalence of 6% by 2027.
Despite this progress, modelling shows that Australia’s targets for tobacco smoking prevalence are unlikely to be met with business as usual approaches. The TFG policy could therefore be a critical public health tool for phasing out consumer use of tobacco, making these products a relic of the past, much as Australia has done with lead paint, asbestos, leaded fuel, and engineered stone.
South Australia would be the first Australian state or territory to enact a TFG policy and would follow groundwork laid by Tasmania, which was the first jurisdiction globally to attempt to introduce a TFG policy. Evidence and logic suggests that a TFG policy is an important part of a comprehensive strategy to minimise smoking uptake and meet smoking prevalence targets. Modelling from Aotearoa/New Zealand indicates that this can contribute substantial decreases in smoking prevalence, with a strong pro-equity impact. The United Kingdom Khan review considered this a ‘critical intervention’ to make smoking obsolete.
Importantly, this proposed policy will help provide young people with protection from future addiction and future harm from tobacco products. Over time it is likely to minimise smoking uptake and eliminate any possible ‘rite of passage’ effect, which can occur with simple age limits for sales. Furthermore, as a standalone measure, a TFG policy denormalises tobacco, which supports cessation outcomes.
A TFG policy also clearly signals that tobacco is a uniquely hazardous product, requiring the most stringent regulatory approaches.
Dr Joshua Trigg is a Researcher in Public Health at the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, at Flinders University, South Australia. Professor Jacqueline Bowden is the Director of the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, based at Flinders University, South Australia. Richard Edwards is a Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand and Co-Director of the ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Centre. Professor Billie Bonevski is the Director of the Flinders Health and Medical Research Centre and Dean of Research at Flinders University, South Australia. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.