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Tackling socioeconomic health inequalities represents one of Australia's most challenging public health issues. Research has demonstrated that the role of physicians and other health professionals, as advocates for change in the delivery of health services, public health policy and other community‐wide initiatives, is extremely important in reducing mortality and improving health outcomes. Multilevel actions to reduce health inequalities should include changes to macrolevel social and economic policies; improving living and working conditions; strengthening communities for health; improving behavioural risk factors; empowering individuals and strengthening their social networks; and improving responses from the healthcare system and associated treatment services. Australia has yet to develop a coordinated and integrated approach to addressing health disparities; however, previously successful public health interventions addressing other health issues are good starting points.

Objectives : To estimate the smoking prevalence among parents of infants and examine these parents' socio‐demographic characteristics. Method : The sample of all parents of infants (669 mother‐father pairs, 90 single parents) was derived from the 1995 Australian Health Survey. Data were collected by face‐to‐face interview in the respondent's home. Socio‐demographic measures include parent's age, family structure, age‐left‐school, highest post‐school qualification, occupation, and family income. Results : The overall rate of smoking among parents was 28.9% (mothers 24.7%, fathers 33.7%). The lowest rate was observed among mothers with a post‐school tertiary qualification (7.6%) and the highest among fathers aged 18–24 (49.0%). In 15.4% of two‐parent families both parents smoked, but this rate differed markedly by family income (9.9% vs. 29.7% for high and low‐income families respectively). Multiple logistic regression showed that parents who smoked were more likely to be young, minimally educated, employed in blue‐collar occupations, and resident in low‐income families. Conclusions and implications : Infants in this sample who were exposed to parental smoking were likely to be at increased risk of experiencing higher mortality and morbidity for childhood conditions related to passive smoking; more likely to experience adverse health consequences in adulthood; and may themselves take up smoking in later life. The study results pose serious challenges to our tobacco control efforts and health interventions more generally. No single policy or strategy can adequately address the problem of parental smoking. We need macro/upstream approaches that deal with the degree of social and economic inequality in society, as well as more intermediate approaches that intervene at the level of communities, families and individuals.

Electronic tracking systems can reduce the capacity of people to produce methamphetamine domestically, but seem unlikely to affect other aspects of the methamphetamine problem such as possession, distribution and importation.

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