Mt Druitt records highest smoking figures in NSW, new study finds

Mt Druitt has earned an unenviable mention on the list of the Australian smoking hotspots, with almost one third of the population lighting up daily.

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Mt Druitt residents are continuing to light up at an alarming rate according to a new study into smoking rates across Australia.

The suburb recorded the third-highest smoking rate in Australia and topped NSW as the state’s smoking capital in a report from Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute.

Mt Druitt lags behind the national smoking rate by more than 30 years, with more than 31 per cent of the suburb’s population lighting up on a daily basis.

The suburb earned the unenviable mention on the list, placing behind the Tasmanian suburbs of Bridgewater/Gagebrook and Risdon Vale, where 40 per cent and 34 per cent of the population smokes, respectively.

The figures stand in contrast to the national smoking rate of 14 per cent and highlight a socio-economic divide between western Sydney and the north shore and northern suburbs, which have some of the lowest smoking rates in the country.

Health Policy lead at the Mitchell Institute, Ben Harris, said local factors were influencing smoking rates.

“We know where we live, where we work, when we left school and who we know influences smoking,” Mr Harris said.

“We also know that the best way to stop children picking up the habit is to encourage the adults around them quit smoking.”

Mt Druitt state Labor MP Edmond Atalla called on the State Government to invest more into anti-smoking campaigns in the area.

“This NSW Government needs to look at the Mt Druitt electorate and actually work to make improvements in these areas,” Mr Atalla said.

“For too long there has been significant focus on the privileged parts of the inner city and it is high time that the focus shifts to western Sydney and regional areas.”

He said halting the uptake of smoking in disadvantaged communities was essential.

“There are a variety of reasons that the smoking levels are so high in this area, including issues such as unemployment, education rates and mental health issues,” he said.

AUSTRALIA’S SMOKING HOTSPOTS

1. Bridgewater/Gagebrook, TAS — 40%, 1979 Australian smoking rate

2. Risdon Vale, TAS — 34.4%, 1986 Australian smoking rate

3. Mt Druitt, NSW — 31.2%, 1988 Australian smoking rate

4. Elizabeth/Salisbury, SA — 31.1%, 1988 Australian smoking rate

5. Tamworth, NSW — 30.3%, 1989 Australian smoking rate