Background: Despite several attempts, national consistency in Australian tobacco control has not been achieved, with jurisdictions tending to ‘leapfrog' each other when making changes to tobacco legislation and policy. South Australia has recently been a leader among jurisdictions in regards to banning smoking in cars, and banning fruit flavoured cigarettes and split packets, but despite being the first to announce its intentions, South Australia will be the last to implement measures making pubs and clubs smoke-free.

Discussion: The presentation will examine the experience of recent tobacco control policy development in South Australia in relation to the progress of other jurisdictions. South Australia has often benefited from the experience of other States and Territories, but it has also been disadvantaged by leading the way. While the focus on keeping up with other jurisdictions maintains tobacco's profile on the political agenda, it may also contribute to a reactive policy environment.

The role of lobbyists will also be explored in relation to the Australian context. For example, how does the ‘Dirty Ashtray' award, given to the jurisdiction that makes the least progress, impact on policy formation?

Conclusion: The pros and cons of leading or following policy development will be discussed in the light of recent legislative changes. Overall, it may be that legislative ‘leapfrog' makes the best gains for Australian tobacco control but what are the costs of these gains?