Public Health Amendment (Vaping) Bill 2024 (No 47)

Thursday 13 March 2025

[12.09 p.m.]

Ms ARMITAGE (Launceston) - Mr President, I thank the member for McIntyre because it is a concern. Although, I am assuming the AMA was supportive -

Ms Rattray - Well, they are not providing enough doctors.

Ms ARMITAGE - They do not provide the doctors; they are more the doctors' union.

A member - They do not have not enough members.

Ms ARMITAGE - I am sure they say that, too.

I thank the Leader for organising the briefings. It was interesting hearing them. Actually, the member for McIntyre and I have met with people representing vaping in the past, so I have heard both sides. It was interesting to hear, yesterday, that this will be a nation‑leading initiative. As was said -

Ms Rattray - Out of step with the nation, that is what it will be.

Ms ARMITAGE - As they said, it is a rare opportunity for Tasmania to actually lead the nation and the world in solving a significant global public health issue in vaping. I am sure if the previous member for Windermere were here, I am sure that he would be advocating for it. I have not had a call from him, which is surprising.

It is all about protecting people and kids from vaping and nicotine addiction. We have all probably heard, I know I have, people say that vaping can help you stop smoking, but I guess it is changing one addiction for another. We heard yesterday it is considered the vapes are more dangerous. It is frightening that you can die sooner. That education is a really important part of the puzzle and is something that needs to be looked at. Maybe the Minister for Education knows what they do in schools. It is a long time since my children were at school. I am assuming that these things are part of their health studies.

Ms Rattray - Cut down all the hedges, so they cannot go behind the hedges.

Ms ARMITAGE - I am not sure. With vaping you see a bit of a plume, from memory, do you not? You see something coming up - I am not sure.

To hear, yesterday, from the lady from Home Base that most children coming to them are vaping. They spend a lot of time educating young people around the harms of vaping - that the schools are also struggling with the number of students vaping. Young people obviously see it as cool. It is something I am assuming they can probably buy quite easily online. Of my four sons, three used to smoke, two gave it up, one still struggles and tries to give up but finds it much harder. Fortunately, he does not vape. I am hoping that the cigarettes are becoming less and less because now that he has bought a house, he realises how expensive it is to smoke. I guess that is one of the things that it comes down to; it is the cost as well of cigarettes. I do not know the cost of vaping, how that compares to smoking, whether it is cheaper or not -

A member - I have no idea.

Ms ARMITAGE - No, I have no idea either - if that is a reason people vape instead of smoke.

We do need community‑driven legislation and we need to be willing to accept that it is a scourge on society and that there are a lot of health benefits from protecting the community from vapes.

The member for McIntyre mentioned the policing of it and that is an important issue. Probably about three weeks ago, I had a phone call from a constituent in my electorate to say that there was a business that had just set up in their area that was selling cigarettes and vapes illegally. They did not have a licence and they were selling them to underage people. Trying to find someone to go out there was a nearly impossible. There used to be tobacco control officers. I know because I was one many years ago. We used to go in and look at places to see if they had cigarettes and things on display. In the end, in frustration, to try to find someone who could go to the establishment, I phoned our commander of Police. Now, I know the police have far more important things to do than check on vaping and smoking and the selling of cigarettes, but where do you go? Marco, our commander, was fantastic. He sent the CIB because he thought that if they were selling without a licence, perhaps they were importing illegally. He was not sure, but - CIB. I felt really badly about the CIB going. I thought there would have been a number I could simply ring to talk to someone and say, 'Can you go and have a look to find out what is happening,' but it really was not that simple.

I do not believe we have many tobacco control officers in our state and I wonder - to put legislation in place is fantastic, but we need the resources to police it. Otherwise, people soon realise that okay, there is legislation, but it is not being policed. We also need the resources to police it. Otherwise people soon realise that 'okay, you have legislation, but it is not being policed so it does not really matter'. That is an important part of the bill. I would be interested to know, Leader, what we are going to do about that. As we have heard with the last bill, the police have some really important work to do. To ring them up to ask them to go out about people selling cigarettes and vaping, I am sure they are not going to worry about people vaping and checking if they have a prescription for it. They have important work to do. Not that it is not important, but on the measure of things, considering our previous bill and the work our police have to do, it does not quite measure up.

The briefings yesterday were very good. It was great to hear from different people that people who vape are five times more likely to take up smoking than those who do not. I always thought vaping was something they did when they were trying to give it up. That is one of the arguments you get from some of the organisations, but this is what they do. This has helped so many people, and maybe it does help some people. I am not saying it doesn't ‑ but to hear the evidence that it is five times more likely -

There is a surge in youth vaping. E‑cigarettes are only available to those using them under a last resort with a doctor's support. That is good to hear, because it is something that people need to have doctor support with. It is another condition. I understand the member for McIntyre saying what she did about GPs, but it is a health issue, and it is a preventative health issue. I am sure most GPs, if they can stop someone getting sick by prescribing a vape ‑ what, 10‑minute appointments - I know it is not easy to get an appointment, but I am quite sure they would be more than happy to prescribe.

The issue to do with pharmacies ‑ and I had discussions last year particularly about pharmacies ‑ the issue that came to me was the fact they were having to pay a full tobacco licence to stock vapes. That was of concern to them. People were coming to them with a prescription. Some of the pharmacies could not afford, or did not feel it was it was affordable, to pay a full licence for the odd prescription that they received for vapes. I am pleased to see that the government has now taken that away ‑ that if they are going to get prescriptions in, they will not have to pay that full tobacco licence. It certainly was an impost on them.

I have probably covered most of the areas that I want to cover. I will certainly support the bill. I, like other members, would like to see things like tobacco and vapes and e‑cigarettes banned, but while they are a legal product, particularly with cigarettes, people have the right to use them. Vapes ‑ I have not had a lot to do with them. I always thought that they were aimed at helping to get people off them. I recall, in a previous life when my husband had his hotel, seeing all these plumes of smoke coming up from the smoking area -

Mrs Hiscutt - I thought you were going to say behind the shower shed.

Ms ARMITAGE - No, from the smoking area at the hotel. I often wondered what it was, not realising that it was the vapes. I believe the kids, particularly, like what the vapes do, as opposed to the smoke that they can make out of them.

Ms O'Connor - It is the flavours ‑ cherry and raspberry and vanilla.

Ms Forrest - Bubble-gum.

Ms O'Connor - Bubble-gum flavours.

Ms ARMITAGE - I am not sure. I have not had a lot to do with them. The sad part is that it is almost like the flavours are for children, I guess; it is something they appreciate.

I support the legislation. I would like to know what is going to happen with policing, because I had an experience myself which was very difficult. I know there is a 1300 number, an 1800 number, but it was not an easy situation. I personally had to go to our police commander to get some help. I do not think that is a situation that if you see someone vaping, that you can go to the police.