The University of Tasmania has been a fully smoke free campus since 2021.
This includes buildings, properties, grounds and vehicles and applies to all members of our campus community, including staff, students, visitors and contractors.
This does mean that we do not have designated smoking areas on our campuses.
A more sustainable university
By reducing our impact on the environment, a smoke-free campus supports our commitment to sustainability. It also puts us closer to our goal of becoming a gold STAR ranked university.
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STAR) approach focuses on our physical health, as well as the environment.
Find out more about Our commitment to sustainability and how you can get involved.
Support is available
We offer a $100 subsidy for any staff or student undergoing a quit smoking program or products to help quit.
People who have the best success giving up smoking combine both NRT or quitting medication with behavioural support. We are connecting with Quitline to help provide the support that is right for you. Our recommended process:
- Contact health.safety@utas.edu.au stating you would like to access support to quit smoking. We will work with you and register you with Quitline.
- Once registered, a trained Quitline counsellor will call you and work with you to understand what treatment will be best suited to you.
- If you wish to use a product subsidised by Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Quitline will refer you to your GP to obtain a script for that product. When you visit your GP, let them know you have signed up with Qutiline for support.
- If you don’t want a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) subsidised product, you can go straight to your pharmacist.
- Take your script to be filled at any pharmacy.
- Claim back your expenses (see 'How do I claim back my money' FAQ on how to do this)
Yes. These two subsidies are different but can be used together.
The Commit to Quit subsidy is being provided by the University of Tasmania for staff and students.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is available for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), varenicline and bupropion and is available to anyone who wants to quit smoking once they have got a script from their GP.
Any Nicotine Replacement Therapies or other quitting medications of your choice. This might include patches, lozenges, gum, inhalator, mouth spray or other quitting medications.
You can obtain nicotine replacement therapies (patches, gum and lozenges) and some cessation medications (champix and zyban) to help quit on script from a GP. The benefit of obtaining a script from a GP means you are subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). The cost for a general patient is currently $41.30 per script. For a concession card holder the cost is just $6.60 per script. You will then have access to 12 weeks (3 scripts of 4 weeks each) of the above products when obtained on script.
Nicotine replacement therapy products can be purchased over the counter from a pharmacy, but over the counter purchases are not covered under the PBS. The cost for over the counter varies, but could be as much as $40 for one weeks treatment.
Yes. You can buy Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT’s) at a pharmacy; however, they are much more expensive, and we would always recommend speaking with Quitline first 13 7848 or your GP to understand what options are best for you. If you chose this option and want reimbursement, see below ‘How do I claim back my money’
Even if you are not registered with Quitline, you can still call 13 QUIT (13 7848) anytime for free information, advice and support.
Students
The Safety and Wellbeing team will process your reimbursement for you, this will be in the form of a deposit into your bank account.
Please send an email with a picture of your receipt and your preferred contact number to health.safety@utas.edu.au.
Staff
Staff can use either our ExpenseMe App or ProMaster our expense management system.
ProMaster instructions:
- Login into ProMaster and click ‘I accept’.
- At the top right click ‘Create New Expense’.
- Complete the form:
- Purpose: Nicotine Replacement Therapies Subsidy
- Merchant: Where you purchased your products
- Description: What you purchased I.e., lozenges, nicotine patches etc.
- Expense type: In the top right-hand box search ‘Medical Related’. Click other and select ‘36136 Medical Related’.
- Project Number: In the top right-hand box search ‘Safety and Wellbeing’, select ‘100825 Safety and Wellbeing’.
- Budget Centre/Discipline: Should automatically fill to 761.
- Please upload a picture of your receipt.
ExpenseMe App
- Download the App
- Follow the ExpenseMe App training video (staff only) to create an account
- Use information from step 3 in the above ProMaster instructions to fill in the claim.
More wellbeing resources are available for staff and students: Student Portal and Staff Portal.
Supporting a smoke free campus
If you wish to smoke, you’ll need to go off campus or away from the University owned property. However, some public streets are also smoke free. More information on smoking in public places is available at:
Boundary maps
The University smoke-free campus guide (FlippingBook) provides the smoke-free boundary areas for our campuses and facilities.
Smoking is a personal choice and the University respects this right. If you are a staff member and choose to smoke, it's important to manage breaks in accordance with the University’s Enterprise Agreement (30–60-minute meal break and two rest breaks of 10 minutes).
Your safety is very important to us. If you need to go for a smoke, please ensure you take the appropriate measures to keep yourself safe.
Safe Zone is a safety app which is available FREE for all students and staff, and operates across all University of Tasmania campuses and facilities – all you have to do is press a button and University Safety and Security will be able to assist.
Waste disposal units are provided at the main entries to the University’s premises. Please use these units to dispose of cigarette butts and associated tobacco products and packaging before entering any of the University’s building, properties or workplaces.
We encourage our University community to be part of a positive culture change and to have respectful conversations with those smoking on campus.
It can be awkward to initiate a conversation about breaching the smoke free campus. Keep the conversation casual and friendly, if you start one. It is most likely that:
- the person is not aware that the University is smoke-free and that this is the first time they have been approached.
If you have further concerns as a staff member, raise these with your supervisor for discussion. If you are a University resident, you can advise Student Living.
Security staff also undertake regular patrols of each campus. Where an individual is found to be smoking in an area where smoking is prohibited they will be asked to stop smoking and move off campus. Security can be contacted for support.
You can also lodge a complaint with our Safe and Fair Community Unit, as smoking is a breach of our behaviour policy.
Contact us
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact the Safety and Wellbeing team via the Staff Services Portal or by phone or email. Students you can also email us:
