‘Responding to the needs of our mob’: the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program

In 2015, the Australian Government Department of Health (DoH) launched a revised version of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program. In response to feedback provided by TIS teams through a program review conducted by the University of Canberra, the updated program committed to supporting regionally funded organisations to deliver evidence-based activities designed in consultation with local communities. Innovatively, this support was to be delivered through an independent entity, the National Best Practice Unit for Tackling Indigenous Smoking (NBPU_TIS). 

Sourced through an open tender process, NBPU_TIS operates as a consortium led by Ninti One, and includes University of Canberra, University of Sydney, and Edith Cowan University. The Unit provides program funded organisations with evidence-based resource sharing, information dissemination, advice and mentoring, workforce development, and training in monitoring and evaluation. 

Funding an independent National Best Practice Unit represents a new step for DoH, one which has provided opportunities as well as challenges to those involved in the process. In this presentation consortium partners and representatives of the funded organisations reflect on the work of the NBPU_TIS over its first year, describing the impact made, and the changes enacted through working in partnership with DoH, TIS Grant Recipients and each other.