About NBPU TIS

What does NBPU TIS do?

The National Best Practice Unit for Tackling Indigenous Smoking (NBPU TIS) has been established to provide tailored support to organisations funded under the national Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program.

The NBPU TIS can assist organisations with TIS-related matters, such as:

accessing research, information and resources on population health promotion and tobacco control
developing Activity Work Plans for TIS activities
developing local measures and monitoring the impact of TIS activities
accessing relevant training and networking opportunities.

The NBPU TIS is not expected to assist with organisational matters such as business administration or governance.

Who is the NBPU TIS?

NBPU TIS is a consortium led by Ninti One Ltd and includes the Health Research Institute at the University of Canberra, and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet based at Edith Cowan University.

This flowchart demonstrates the NBPU TIS structure.

Who is the TIS Technical Advisory Group?

The Tackling Indigenous Smoking Technical Advisory Group (TIS TAG) provides technical advice across the TIS program on:

matters relating to strategies, priorities, activities and implementation of the program
supporting evidence-based knowledge and best practice in tobacco control/population health promotion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities
identifying current and emerging risks that could affect the effectiveness of the TIS program, and ways of mitigating these risks
any other matters to support the TIS program to meet its goals.

Membership of the TIS TAG comprises representatives from the TIS program components, specialists in Tobacco Control, and experts in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and social and emotional wellbeing. Membership is drawn from across a number of sectors including Community Controlled Health, academia, non-government and government. The Group has a majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander membership.

Summaries of the meetings will be published in a TIS TAG Communique.

NBPU TIS stance on e-cigarettes

Australia takes a cautionary stance towards the use of e-cigarettes. This approach means prioritising the prevention of any possible harm to human health. The emerging evidence supports this approach since:

vaping (which is not harm free) is not better than existing (harm free) quit methods
vaping is popular with young people, is addictive, and can be harmful.

NBPU TIS strongly supports this stance on e-cigarettes. Use of e-cigarettes should not be encouraged, but can be used as a point of discussion around the available best practice quit methods, including cold turkey, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), other prescription medications such as Champix, and quit smoking counselling. We know that these evidence-based methods are effective for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers wanting to quit, and that the population health promotion work carried out as part of the TIS program is helping to reduce smoking rates in communities.

The NBPU have produced a Key facts about e-cigarettes factsheet and infographic which provides key information about e-cigarettes for TIS workers.