Can Australian Tobacco Retailers Display Cigarette Images, Prices and Brand Information Online?
Last reviewed: 28 July 2026
This article provides general information only and is not legal, customs, tax or health advice. Rules can change and may differ between Australian states and territories.
Direct answer
Australia generally prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion. A limited exception may allow compliant online point-of-sale information, but it does not give retailers permission to publish ordinary promotional advertising.
Both Commonwealth requirements and the rules of the relevant state or territory must be considered.
Website access controls
A website displaying online tobacco advertisements must use a system that limits access to adults. Federal guidance gives examples such as requiring a person to declare that they are at least 18 or to enter a date of birth showing they are 18 or older before viewing the advertisement.
The website may also need to prevent residents of a jurisdiction that prohibits online tobacco purchases from completing a purchase.
Factual information versus promotion
The rules can distinguish permitted point-of-sale information from prohibited promotional content. A compliant page may be limited in how it presents:
- product or brand names;
- prices;
- pack or product images;
- specifications;
- health warnings; and
- purchase information.
Lifestyle imagery, emotional slogans, celebrity associations, rewards, giveaways, health claims or content encouraging smoking may fall outside a point-of-sale exception.
Why state and territory rules matter
States and territories may add rules about retail display, online sales, warnings or consumer location. A national website should not assume that one design is lawful for every purchaser.
Practical checklist
- Place the age gate before tobacco advertising is visible.
- Use required health-warning material.
- Avoid lifestyle or aspirational promotion.
- Do not make reduced-risk claims without lawful authority.
- Apply relevant geographic purchase restrictions.
- Review the rules applying to both the retailer and the customer.
Official sources
- Department of Health — Guide to online point-of-sale advertising requirements
- Department of Health — Smoking and tobacco laws in Australia
Editorial note: Smoke World publishes consumer education content for adults. This page does not encourage tobacco use or provide a method for avoiding customs, tax or retail rules.