ASH Australia OTCC Auckland September 2007

A media-advocacy strategy

ASH Australia

Stafford Sanders, Communications OfficerPresenter / co-author

Anne Jones, Chief ExecutiveCo-author

Eddie Hertz, Sociology student, Macquarie UniversityResearch and production assistance

Outline

Myth vs reality The problem Changes needed Campaign strategy Supporters Usefulness of the strategy Results / progress Conclusions / lessons

Myth vs reality

View of some politicians / advisers: Smoking “informed adult lifestyle choice” We’ve gone far enough, any further is “nanny

state”

Reality: Smoking normally arises from childhood recruitment

& addiction Tobacco industry targets children as “new smokers” Too many children smoke Too many children exposed to secondhand smoke

The problem

Continued high (but falling) child smoking rates140,000 + (9%) of Australian students 12-17 smoke at least weekly (NDS 2005)

Easy availability of tobacco to children - 23% get it from shops- 35,000+ dealerships

Retail display predisposes children to smoke – - they see it as more normal, accessible

(Wakefield et al 2006) Child staff still selling

- potential impact on both child seller and customer Children at risk from SHS in cars

(Rees et al 2006)

 

Supermarket, newsagent, convenience store:

just three of 35,000 tobacco dealerships

Pics: ASH, Smokefree Tasmania 

Childrenin the sights of tobacco promotion

Changes needed

Tobacco products out of sight in all retail outlets

No staff under 18 to sell tobacco Full implementation of licensing scheme

for tobacco retailers- fees to fund seller education and compliance

Cars carrying children to be smokefree by law

Tobacco out of sight:How it CAN be done

 

Campaign strategy

Advocacy kit- factsheets, research, photos; 6min DVD - resources adaptable by state groups

Countering shonky retailer arguments- displays “not advertising”, don’t encourage smoking- use of good research; advertising expert input

Endorsements and actions- from health, children’s, church, community orgs

Political advocacy with state/territory MPs - in alliance with state-based health groups, churches

Industry action - retailer meetings, shareholder activism Media - releases, interviews; help with local orgs’ media Strategic use of research Webpage – action emails to supermarket execs

Supporters gathered (so far)

ASH Australia; Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia; Association for the Welfare of Child Health; Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science; Australian Childhood Foundation; Australian Council of Social Service; Australian Council of State School Organisations; Australian Council on Smoking and Health; Australian Education Union; Australian Foster Care Association; Australian General Practice Network; Australian Lions Drug Awareness Foundation; Australian National Council on Drugs; Australian Parents’ Council; Australian Youth Affairs Coalition; Children’s Cancer Institute Australia; Cystic Fibrosis Australia; Early Childhood Australia; Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect; National Asthma Council Australia; Heart Foundation; Public Affairs Commission of the Anglican Church of Australia; Public Health Association of Australia; Royal Australasian College of Physicians; Royal Australian College of General Practitioners; Rural Doctors Association of Australia; Save the Children Australia; SIDS and Kids; Smarter than Smoking; Telethon Institute for Child Health Research; Australian Lung Foundation; Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand

(33 national organisations)

+ state endorsements(AMA, Cancer Councils, Tas churches)

Usefulness of strategy

ASH resources used or adapted in various forms by state-based health groups. Their feedback (SA, Qld, Tas, WA):

ASH resources & advocacy “helpful”, “significant,” “a useful adjunct to local efforts”

Results / progress

Retail display- No fully out-of-sight policy achieved anywhere in Aust- Qld, SA, Tas (before parl’t): limited to 1 sq. m- Qld, NSW: under review

Child staff- No ban yet on underage sellers; but- Coles, Woolworths’ policy is now that no

under-18 staff are to sell tobacco

Licensing- SA, Tas, ACT have licensing but ? full implementation

Smokefree cars- SA: in effect from 31/5/07- Tas: before parliament- Qld, ACT, NSW: considering

Conclusions / lessons

Incremental impact Better on smokefree cars issue

- where no powerful lobby against it Limited success on out-of-sight

policy, and underage selling- because of strong retailers’ lobby against

Important to counter retailers and build support before reviews

- Denormalisationstrategies