‘Stub out smoko’

SMOKERS could cost the Australian economy a staggering $388 billion over the course of the Australian population’s working lives.

Research released today shows the indirect costs of smoking, including lost time due to smoke breaks, secondhand smoke exposure and absenteeism, could have a bigger financial impact on the economy than direct costs associated with health care.

The results have prompted Cancer Council Queensland chief executive Chris McMillan to call for workplaces to consider banning smoking altogether. “Having a smokefree workplace not only improves the health of those who smoke, but this will increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and protect employees from being exposed to second-hand smoke,” she said.

By crunching the numbers at years of life lost, quality of life lost and productivity lost, researchers from Monash University calculated the total financial loss based on gross domestic product generated per worker in 2016. The research, published in journal The BMJ, homed in on the indirect economic impact smoking has on work productivity.

“We’re getting quite good at quantifying the costs in terms of hospitalisations, but there’s evidence to suggest the indirect costs of smoking are very high, and in fact may be higher than the direct costs,” lead researcher Dr Alice Owen said.

The study led researchers to conclude the case for expanding Australia’s already strict tobacco laws was “compelling”.

The modelling showed three million years of life would be lost from the current population of smokers.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland’s Dan Petrie said the obvious benefit of healthier workforces for employers was having more productive employees.

“Employers of Australia are paying smoke breaks, and changing that culture around ‘smoko’ and getting rid of smoking does improve productivity,” he said.

But Mr Petrie, a former smoker himself, stopped short of supporting further tobacco controls and said it was important governments did not demonise smokers.

The research did not take into account economic activity associated with production and sale of tobacco products, nor government revenue generated from tobacco taxes.