Tobacco

NT Health supports population-level tobacco control strategies including:

• education, compliance and enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act 2002
• social marketing activities and public health warning campaigns
• remote and Aboriginal community education, prevention, engagement and cessation support programs
• Quitline telephone counselling service and quit group counselling services.

Tobacco Control Act 2002

The Tobacco Control Act 2002 aims to minimise the harms from smoking through:

• restricting smoking in certain public places and workplaces
• regulating the packaging, advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products
• removing  tobacco products from display
• regulating the conduct of premises at which tobacco products are sold
• prohibiting the sale and supply of tobacco products to children.

The Act was amended in 2019 to include electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and their accessories as regulated products. Like traditional tobacco products, the sale of e-cigarettes requires a tobacco retail licence and the same restrictions that apply to the sale and consumption of tobacco applies to e-cigarettes.

• Tobacco Control Act 2002
• Tobacco Control Regulations 2002

Department of Health smoke free policy

The smoke free policy is about providing a safe work environment for staff, protecting patients and visitors from environmental tobacco smoke, and providing help for staff and patients to quit smoking.

• Department of Health smoke free policy PDF (222.2 KB)

Tobacco action plan 2019 to 2023

Key documents:

• Northern Territory Tobacco action plan 2019 to 2023
• Northern Territory Tobacco Control Action Committee annual report 2022 PDF (240.0 KB)
• Northern Territory Tobacco Control Action Committee annual report 2021 PDF (854.7 KB)
• Northern Territory Tobacco Control Action Committee annual report 2020
• Northern Territory Tobacco Control Action Committee annual report 2019

The tobacco action plan for the Northern Territory is a commitment to the prevention and reduction of tobacco related harm and commits to the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (NPAPH) benchmarks.

This document will reflect activities targeted at high risk and vulnerable groups in our community including:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• young people
• people with mental illness
• women who smoke in pregnancy.

The action plan will guide the activities of NT Health.

For more information, contact the Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch on 08 8999 2691, or email mhaod.doh@nt.gov.au