Hence, both the relative risks of mortality and the overall population impacts of smoking are not uniform across the world and may also vary across time, population groups, and birth cohorts within a single location [3-5]. Large-scale quantitative evidence on the relationship of tobacco smoking to mortality among countries with a mature smoking epidemic is accruing, but is not yet available for Australia. In common with many countries, Australia has relied on the findings from studies conducted in the UK and US, including the British Doctors Study [3] and the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Studies [6], to underpin estimation of the population impact of smoking [7]. As well as providing local evidence, large-scale data from Australia have the potential to contribute to knowledge internationally by providing additional independent data on the effects of prolonged, heavy, and widespread smoking. Furthermore, Australia has been among the most successful nations regarding tobacco control, with most recent data indicating that 13% of adults in Australia reported daily smoking in 2013 [8]; data from Australia are therefore likely to provide insights into the risks of smoking in settings with high historical prevalence of smoking and low current prevalence (Figure 1).
