We have updated this page in line with new tobacco legislation. Find out more about the new laws, including when they take effect and how they will affect you.
Health warnings
Health warnings are a set of images and messages that provide information on the harmful effects of smoking. By law, they must be displayed on the retail packaging of all tobacco products being sold and supplied in Australia. Each type of tobacco product packaging has:
- a series of images that must be used
- specific placement, sizing and display requirements.
Example
Cigarette packs and cigarette cartons must:
- display the health warning images from the specified series for these products on the relevant surface area, including the front, back and side of the pack or carton.
- display these health warning images to cover at least
- 75% of the front surface of the pack or carton
- 90% of the back surface of the pack or carton
- include a health warning image on one side surface as detailed in legislation
- when being sold, use each image in the specified series as evenly as possible.
Health promotion inserts
Health promotion inserts are small information cards placed inside the retail packaging for cigarette and loose processed tobacco products being sold and supplied in Australia. They highlight the benefits of quitting smoking and provide information on resources, strategies and support services to help people to quit.
Example
Why they are important
There is extensive and evolving scientific evidence about the harmful effects of tobacco use. We have developed health warnings and health promotion inserts in line with this evidence and advice from technical experts.
Our health warnings aim to:
- inform people who smoke about the harmful effects of tobacco use
- encourage people to quit smoking
- discourage people from taking up smoking.
Our health promotion inserts aim to:
- educate people about the health and social benefits of quitting
- provide advice and strategies to help people to quit
- tell people about the resources and support that are available to them.
We have designed our health warnings and health promotion inserts to complement each other to encourage and support people who smoke to quit.
We have tested the health warnings and health promotion inserts to ensure they are effective.
Health warnings and health promotion inserts are part of Australia’s tobacco control activities. Our policies and programs aim to reduce smoking rates and tobacco-related harm in our community, as outlined in the National Tobacco Strategy 2023–2030.
tobaccofacts.gov.au
To support the new health warnings, we are developing new web content that will help people better understand the health effects of smoking. It builds on the content of health warnings on tobacco products.
This information will be available at tobaccofacts.gov.au, and is expected to be available in early 2025.
How to meet the requirements
All manufacturers, packagers, suppliers and retailers of tobacco products should ensure they understand their obligations under legislation.
Full details of requirements for health warnings and health promotion inserts can be found in the:
- Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023
- Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Regulations 2024.
Guidance documents are available to help you identify and understand some of the key requirements relating to health warnings and health promotion inserts. You should read these alongside the legislation but they do not in any way replace the provisions under legislation.
Tobacco control resources
Request image files
People involved in packaging tobacco products for sale or supply can complete our online form to request free digital images for health warnings and health promotion inserts.
Make a complaint
If you think a product is in breach of the tobacco health warning and health promotion insert requirements, use the complaint form to report it to us.
We:
- consider all complaints
- assess each complaint and prioritise it based on risk
- do not provide updates on the progress or outcome of a complaint.
Contact
