Record funding of $183.7 million for Australia’s first four-year Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program will provide “certainty and continuity” for life-saving campaigns in the Parkes electorate, reports Mark Coulton.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The federal Member for Parkes said the Maari Mar Aboriginal Health Corporation and the Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service were driving the campaigns in his electorate.
“From 1 July, the coalition government will extend the TIS program from the existing three-year to a four-year term,” Mr Coulton said.
READ MORE: Wellington burned by new smoking data.
“We know the new four-year program will build on successes and provide security for people working in the campaigns and for local communities.”
Mr Coulton said on average, smoking was responsible for 20 per cent of preventable deaths among Aboriginal people and more than 10 per cent of their health problems.
He said the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics report on Indigenous smoking showed an average 2.1 per cent annual drop since targeted intervention began in 2008.