Media release – Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, 2 May 2023
Taking action on smoking and vaping
The Albanese Government is taking strong action to reduce smoking and stamp out vaping – particularly among young Australians – through stronger legislation, enforcement, education and support.
The 2023–24 Budget will include $737 million to fund a number of measures to protect Australians against the harm caused by tobacco and vaping products.
These measures complement the development of new proposed national tobacco control legislation first announced by the Government in November 2022.
Following public consultation led by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in December 2022, the Government is proposing stronger regulation and enforcement of all e-cigarettes, including new controls on their importation, contents and packaging.
The Government will work with states and territories to stamp out the growing black market in illegal vaping, including to:
- stop the import of non-prescription vapes;
- increase the minimum quality standards for vapes including by restricting flavours, colours, and other ingredients;
- require pharmaceutical-like packaging;
- reduce the allowed nicotine concentrations and volumes; and
- ban all single use, disposable vapes.
The Government will also work with states and territories to close down the sale of vapes in retail settings, ending vape sales in convenience stores and other retail settings, while also making it easier to get a prescription for legitimate therapeutic use.
The Budget will include $63m for a public health information campaign to discourage Australians from taking up vaping and smoking and encourage more people to quit.
There will be $30m invested in support programs to help Australians quit, including through enhanced nicotine cessation education and training among health practitioners.
As governments at all levels work to stamp out the growing black market in illegal vaping products, measures will also be needed to prevent young people from trading their vapes for cigarettes.
The 2023-24 Budget will include measures to reduce the prevalence of smoking, alongside additional support to improve the health of current and former smokers.
Tax on tobacco will be increased by 5 per cent per year for 3 years in addition to normal indexation. The Government will also align the tax treatment of loose-leaf tobacco products (such as roll-your-own tobacco) with the manufactured stick excise rate to ensure these products are taxed equally.
Both of these changes will reduce the affordability of tobacco, which is consistent with the priorities of the National Tobacco Strategy 2023-2030 (the Strategy), which the Australian Government has released today.
The Strategy is a new national framework, which commits to reducing daily smoking prevalence to below 10 per cent by 2025 and to 5 per cent or less by 2030 and prioritises tackling smoking in First Nations communities.
Together, these changes will raise an additional $3.3 billion over the coming 4 years, including $290 million of GST payments to the states and territories, helping to support our health system, and the health of current and former smokers and vapers.
$264m will be invested in a new national lung cancer screening program that is predicted to prevent 4,080 deaths from lung cancer.
At risk Australians will be able to get a lung scan every two years, as recommended by the independent Medical Services Advisory Committee.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Australia, and First Nations communities carry a much higher burden of both smoking and cancer, such that cancer is now the leading cause of disease-related death for First Nations people.
$239m will be invested to ensure mainstream cancer care services are culturally safe and accessible to First Nations people, and help build the capacity and capability of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services sector to support cancer care needs on the ground.
The successful Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program will be extended and also widened ($141m) to reduce both vaping and smoking among First Nations people.
These measures will help address the significant threat to public health caused by cigarettes and vaping, and maintain Australia’s hard-fought success in tobacco control.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“Young people who vape are three times as likely to take up smoking. So is it any wonder that under 25s are the only cohort in the community currently recording an increase in smoking rates?”
“Vaping is creating a whole new generation of nicotine dependency in our community. It poses a major threat to Australia’s success in tobacco control and the Albanese Government is not going to stand by and let this happen.”
“Vaping was sold to governments and communities around the world as a therapeutic product to help long-term smokers quit. It was not sold as a recreational product – especially not one targeted to our kids but that is what it has become.”
“After nine years of delay and inaction by the former government, the gains of Labor’s world-leading plain packaging reforms have been squandered.”
“Australia needs to reclaim its position as a world leader on tobacco control.”
“These reform measures will help protect the health of Australians, while reducing the pressure on our health system and critically it will help to achieve a reduction in smoking rates to 5 per cent or less by 2030.”
Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier, Minister for Health, 2 May 2023
Supporting strong action to address harm caused by e-cigarettes
The Tasmanian Government supports today’s announcement by the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler of measures to strengthen regulation and enforcement activities directed at e-cigarettes.
Premier and Minister for Health, Jeremy Rockliff, said the Tasmanian Government is committed to reducing the prevalence of smoking and vaping and the harm it causes in communities across the State.
“We welcome the national approach to address the harm caused by vaping products,” the Premier said.
“We do not want young people growing up in Tasmania using e-cigarettes. That is why we have invested in our Smoking Prevention Package for Young People to help prevent vaping and educate our children and young people on the dangers involved in their use.
“We know that the use of e-cigarettes is increasing among school-aged children, and it is imperative that we work together to address the emerging issues we are facing with e-cigarettes.
“We also support a national campaign aimed at youth and school communities, to ensure continuity of messaging.”
The Tasmanian Government supports the Commonwealth’s plans to:
- restrict imports on all vaping products;
- limit supply to better support people who are seeking a prescription for vaping products for therapeutic use; and
- tighten existing controls for vaping products regulated by the TGA, including restrictions on packaging, flavours, as well as reductions in the allowable nicotine concentrations, and to remove single use, disposable vaping products from the Australian market.
This position aligns with the Tasmanian Government’s Tobacco Action Plan 2022-2026, which aims to reduce rates of smoking across Tasmania, and our recent submission to the TGA consultation on the regulation of e-cigarettes.
Media release – Andrew Wilkie, independent MHR for Clark, 2 May 2023
VAPE CHANGES VERY WELCOME NEWS
The proposed changes announced by Federal Minister for Health, Mark Butler, regarding a crackdown on non-prescription vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, is very welcome news. The use of vapes is having a shocking effect on the health of young people in particular, with many using them as a recreational product despite the serious long-term health impacts. Moreover the addictive nature of these products leads to a higher usage of cigarettes when older.
The Federal Government blocking the importation of non-prescription vapes and restricting flavours and high-nicotine cartridges will go a long way to ensure people don’t have easy access to them and help stamp out recreational use. Indeed these changes will strengthen the inadequate protections around e-cigarettes and return them to their original purpose as a prescribed therapeutic product to help smokers quit.
The Government now needs to get on with providing a timeline and ensure a Border Force has the resources it needs to stop the importation of vapes. I offer these comments not just as a Member of Parliament, but also as the father and step-father of adolescents exposed to vapes just about every day.
Media release – Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), 2 May 2023
RACGP backs vaping crackdown
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has thrown its support behind the Albanese Government’s vaping crackdown and welcomed the commitment to make it easier for people to vape with a doctor’s prescription.
It comes following Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler promising to clampdown on the flourishing e-cigarette black market, restrict flavours and colours, introduce pharmaceutical packaging, limit nicotine concentrations and volumes, ban single-use, disposable products and launch a $63 million advertising campaign to discourage vaping and smoking.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins backed the measures.
“I welcome this crackdown,” she said.
“It’s great news the Government has heeded the RACGP’s calls and announced these measures. We must do much more to limit the number of young people, including children and teenagers, taking up nicotine vaping. The last thing we want is a new generation of nicotine users, and since the brains of younger people are still developing I’m worried that it will be even harder for them to quit nicotine compared to adults.
“The advertising campaign and steps to limit the aesthetic appeal of vaping products including pharmaceutical-packaging with warning labels are especially welcome. Nicotine vaping products are being sold featuring colourful flavours and we have even seen products featuring the same type of imagery as children’s breakfast cereal including cartoon characters. So, clearly companies are targeting children and these cynical tactics must be stopped immediately. The proof will be in the pudding on the advertising campaign, which I think it holds great promise. I hope the campaign is something that cuts through with different audiences, particularly young people.”
Dr Higgins said that the RACGP would work in partnership with the Government.
“It’s important to make it easier for people to vape with a script from their GP,” she said.
“The RACGP supports vaping as a second-line smoking cessation strategy, it’s something that can work for people who have tried other steps to quit smoking and not succeeded. We stand ready to work with government on measures to boost the number of GPs who can prescribe nicotine vaping products and help people quit.
“My message to all Australians is that if you want to quit nicotine – help is available. Consult with your GP, we will be able to help you with a range of different options including counselling and nicotine replacement therapy such as a transdermal path or oral spray or gum, as well as drugs like varenicline and bupropion hydrochloride that block the pleasure and reward response to smoking, reduce the urge to smoke and aid with nicotine withdrawal.
“We will help you take back control. I know it may seem impossible at first after years of smoking but with the right strategies in place you can join many other people who have kicked the habit and improved their health and wellbeing. Trust me, it will be one the best decisions you ever made.”
