The Assessment

Tobacco is one of the most important public health issues internationally and claims more than 15,000 lives in Australia alone every year. It can also be controversial because it raises the issue of who is responsible for people smoking. On the one hand, some commentators argue that responsibility for whether people smoke rests with the individual and is a matter of personal choice. On the other hand, some commentators argue that responsibility lies with governments, particularly in relation to young people. The latter emphasise those factors outside the control of the individual which limit choice or prevent certain actions. Calls for governments to regulate tobacco marketing, tax tobacco and ban smoking in public places are associated with this view.

This assessment has two Tasks A and B

Task A: Reading logs for two articles (5 marks total – 2.5 marks for each reading log).
Task B: Paragraph writing where you write a short essay (around 750 words) of three or four fully referenced paragraphs in which you present a coherent argument for government intervention to extend public smoking bans (20 marks total).