at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service.

I'VE been employed at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service for just over 12 months now. We’re at 186 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy. My position is the tobacco action worker. This is part of the national campaign, Close the Gap, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have poorer health outcomes than non-indigenous people in Australia. Tobacco smoking contributes up to 20 per cent of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths each year and statistics show 51 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoke; in some communities it’s 70 per cent. It’s a big problem nationally for indigenous health.

With the councils of Australian governments putting $1.6 billion towards the Close the Gap campaign, it was agreed that tobacco smoking should be one of the priorities. The Australian government will roll out a national network of regional tobacco co-ordinators and tobacco action workers to work with indigenous communities to reduce the number of people who smoke. This workforce will implement a range of community-based smoking prevention and cessation support activities tailored to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

So far the program has been great. I’ve already helped several clients to quit smoking. Clients are teamed with a tobacco action worker at their local Aboriginal Medical Service for support during the process of quitting. Clients have said that they didn’t quit alone, but as a team with the help of their local Aboriginal Medical Service. Remember, never give up giving up!

– Anti-smoking measures are discussed on page 18