This section presents the current graphic health warnings required in Australia for:
Also presented here are the current on-product messages on cigarettes and health promotion inserts for tobacco products sold in Australia.
A new series of rotating graphic health warnings for tobacco products was implemented in Australia in 2025 and became mandatory on 1 July 2025.1-3 These new health warnings coincided with the addition of text-only warnings printed on cigarette filters (‘on-product’ dissuasive messages, see Section 12.1.2) and health promotion inserts inside tobacco pack (see Section 12.1.3). Additional changes introduced in the same legislation included banning the use of added flavourants and other chemicals, removal of colours from brand or variant names, and standardising product quantities (allowing cigarettes to be packaged only in 20s, and roll-your-own tobacco only in 30-gram pouches).1,2
The Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 20231 and supporting Regulations,2 which set out requirements for the three elements of consumer information on tobacco products, were developed following a thematic review of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992, the Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011, the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Regulation 1993 (TAP Regulations) and the Tobacco Plain Packaging Regulations 2011 (TPP Regulations). The thematic review was prompted by the sunsetting of the TAP Regulations and the TPP Regulations, originally due on 1 April 2022 but extended by the then Attorney-General until 1 April 2024.
12A.1.1 Graphic health warnings in force from 1 July 2025
12A.1.1.1 The phase-in of health warnings during 2025
The Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) (PHTOP) Regulations 2023 commenced on 1 April 2024. For graphic health warnings, the main transition period was from commencement until 31 March 2025. 3 During the transition period, tobacco products could comply with either the new legislation or older legislation. From 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2025, retailers were permitted to ‘sell-through’ stock that complied with the old legislation, in a three-month ‘retailer transition’ period.3 Tobacco products sold in Australia needed to be fully compliant with the 2023 Regulations by 1 July 2025.
The PHTOP Regulations 2023 require health warnings in a series to be displayed equally (Part 3.7, Division 2, 67).2 This means that each warning is to be displayed on pack in roughly equal numbers. The Regulations state that compliance is:
…in any random sample of 4 cigarette cartons, the same health warning appears on no more than 2 cigarette packs in any carton. (Part 3.7, Division 2, 67).2
12A.1.1.2 Graphic health warnings for cigarettes
The 10 current front-of-pack and back-of-pack health warnings, and the side-of-pack explanatory messages for cigarette packs can be seen in Schedule 2, Parts 2.1 to 2.3 at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text and the front-of-pack and back-of-pack warnings in Figure 12A.1.1.
Evidence from evaluations of previous graphic health warnings in Australia4-6 and internationally7,8 has shown that the effects of warnings wear out over time as people become accustomed to packs after multiple exposures (see Sections 12A.5 and 12A.3.9). Rotating warnings over time is recommended by the World Health Organization to reduce the effects of wear-out.9 Each of the 10 graphic health warnings mandatory from 1st July 2025 must appear equally, as described in Section 12A.1.1.1 above.
12A.1.1.3 Health warnings for cigars and cigar tubes
The health warnings (without images) for cigars packaged in tubes are set out in Schedule 3 of the PHTOP regulations. The graphic health warnings for all other cigar pack are shown in Schedule 4 of the PHTOP regulations:2 https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
These warnings can be seen in Figures 12A.1.2 and 12A.1.3. In Schedule 4 are alternative sizes for the same warnings for vertical (Part 4.1), horizontal (Part 4.2) and square warnings (Part 4.3) for different size cigar packs.2 Only the vertical cigar warnings are shown in Figure 12A.1.3.
The health warnings for cigar packaging must be displayed in rotation so that they are displayed in roughly equal numbers of the retail packaging of each kind of product during the time they are in use (see Section 12A.1.1.1).
12A.1.1.4 Graphic health warnings for roll-your-own tobacco
The graphic health warnings to be used for roll-your-own tobacco are set out in Schedule 2 of the PHTOP regulations:2 https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
While roll-your-on tobacco can be sold in packs of various shapes including vertical (Schedule 2, Part 2.1), horizontal (Schedule 2, Part 2.2) and square (Schedule 2, Part 2.3), it is usually sold in pouches with horizontal warnings, as seen in Figure 12A.1.4.
12A.1.1.5 Graphic health warnings for pipe tobacco
The graphic health warnings to be used for pipe tobacco are set out in Schedule 5 of the PHTOP regulations:2 https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
Pipe tobacco is sold in Australia in pouches, tins and ‘samples’, which are smaller in weight. Graphic health warnings have been designed for pipe tobacco in vertical (Schedule 5, Part 5.1), horizontal (Schedule 5, Part 5.2) and square (Schedule 5, Part 5.3) orientation.2 The vertical front-of-pack and back-of-pack warnings are shown in Figure 12A.1.5.
12A.1.1.6 Health warnings for bidis
Bidis (beedis) are thin, hand-rolled cigarettes that are popular in countries such as India (see Section 3.27.7). The health warnings to be used for bidis are text only. The set of five health warnings for bidis are set out in Schedule 7 of the PHTOP regulations:2 https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
Graphic health warnings have been designed for bidis in vertical (Schedule 7, Part 7.1), horizontal (Schedule 7, Part 7.2) and square (Schedule 7, Part 7.3) orientation.2 The vertical front-of-pack and back-of-pack warnings for bidis are shown in Figure 12A.1.6.
12A.1.1.7 Graphic health warnings for waterpipe (shisha) tobacco
Waterpipe tobacco is sold for use in shisha, which are also known as ‘narghile’, ‘arghile’, ‘shisha’, ‘goza’, ‘hubble bubble’ and ‘hookah’ (see Section 3.27.5). The series of five health warnings for waterpipe (shisha) tobacco are set out in Schedule 6 of the PHTOP regulations:2
https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
Graphic health warnings have been designed for waterpipe (shisha) tobacco in vertical (Schedule 6, Part 6.1), horizontal (Schedule 6, Part 6.2) and square (Schedule 6, Part 6.3) orientation.2 The vertical front-of-pack and back-of-pack warnings for shish tobacco are shown in Figure 12A.1.7.
12A.1.1.8 Online tobacco advertisement warnings
Websites advertising a tobacco product for purchase in Australia, or that provide online sales, must display a health warning in a prominent position at the top of the webpage and contain no links to other sites.1,2 They must be fixed in place so that they are clearly visible at all times to a person accessing the webpage.2
There are four warnings currently used which rotate each quarter of the year, as described in Figure 12A.1.8 and Schedule 1 of the PHTOP regulations:2 https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
12A.1.2 On-product (dissuasive) messages in force from 1 July 2025
For the first time, on-product health warnings are now required on all cigarettes sold in Australia that contain a filter, as of 1 July 2025. These are a form of dissuasive cigarettes, described further in Section 12A.7.
A series of short messages are required to be printed in black ink on a white box on the filter of cigarettes, as shown in the example in Figure 12A.1.9. The message is to be duplicated on the directly opposite side of the filter. On-product messages must be varied. For each brand name and variant name (if any), each on-product health message must be displayed in roughly equal numbers on the cigarettes manufactured each calendar year.2
The first series of eight messages currently in use are listed in Schedule 10 of the PHTOP regulations:2 https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
TOXIC ADDICTION
POISONS IN EVERY PUFF
CAUSES 16 CANCERS
DAMAGES YOUR LUNGS
DAMAGES DNA
WHO IS THIS HARMING?
WHAT IS THIS COSTING YOU?
SHORTENS YOUR LIFE
Both Canada and Australia mandate health promotion pack inserts (required in Australia from July 1, 2025). These inserts provide positive messages about the benefits of quitting and advice on how to quit. Inserts of the sort introduced in Canada in 2023 have been shown to promote self-efficacy and sustained smoking cessation attempts.10
The primary packaging of cigarettes, bidis, pipe tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco but not waterpipe (shisha) tobacco and cigars, must include one health promotion insert from 1 July 2025 in Australia. These inserts are to be included in the retail packaging of tobacco products in roughly equal numbers (retail packaging of cigarettes is taken to comply if, in any random sample of 4 cigarette cartons, the same health promotion insert is included in no more than 2 cigarette packs in any carton).2 There are also specific rules for how the inserts are to be placed; for example, in cigarette packs, the insert must be in the front of the flip top, located in front of the lining, be visible when opened and be removable.2 The inserts are to be made from recycled paper and printed on both sides. The series of current health promotion inserts are shown in Figure 12A.1.10 and can been found in Schedule 8 of the of the PHTOP regulations:2 https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text
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References
1. Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023 No. 118. 2023; Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2023A00118/latest/text.
2. Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Regulations 2024 made under the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023, Office of Parliamentary Counsel C, Editor 2024. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/smoking-vaping-and-tobacco/tobacco-control/new-legislation.
3. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Transition periods for manufacturers, importers and retailers of tobacco products. 2024. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-03/transition-periods-for-manufacturers-importers-and-retailers-of-tobacco-products.pdf.
4. Shanahan P and Elliott D. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the graphic health warnings on tobacco product packaging 2008. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2009. Available from: http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/gov/20140801094931/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-tobacco-eval-graphic-health-warnings-exec-sum.
5. Essence Communications. Evaluation of effectiveness of graphic health warnings on tobacco product packaging: An Evaluation Report. Prepared for the Department of Health, 2018. Available from: https://beta.health.gov.au/resources/publications/evaluation-of-effectiveness-of-graphic-health-warnings-on-tobacco-product-packaging.
6. White V, Bariola E, Faulkner A, Coomber K, and Wakefield M. Graphic health warnings on cigarette packs: How long before the effects on adolescents wear out? Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2015; 17(7):776-83. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25239958
7. So J and Popova L. A profile of individuals with anti-tobacco message fatigue. American Journal of Health Behavior, 2018; 42(1):109-18. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29320344
8. McEwen K. ITC evidence of Canadian warning label wear-out presented to policymakers. International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, 2010.
9. World Health Organization. Guidelines for implementation of article 11. WHO, 2013. Available from: https://fctc.who.int/resources/publications/m/item/packaging-and-labelling-of-tobacco-products.
10. Thrasher JF, Swayampakala K, Cummings KM, Hammond D, Anshari D, et al. Cigarette package inserts can promote efficacy beliefs and sustained smoking cessation attempts: A longitudinal assessment of an innovative policy in Canada. Preventive Medicine, 2016; 88:59-65. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26970037