❓ The Minister for Health outlines the McGowan Labor government's efforts to address the dangers of vaping, including launching a school toolkit and increasing compliance measures to prevent illegal sales.
AnsweredQoN 372Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SCHOOLS — ANTI-VAPING TOOLKIT
372. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to growing concerns and misconceptions about vaping, particularly in
regard to the safety of vaping. Can the minister outline to the house
how the McGowan Labor government is ensuring that Western Australians are aware
of the dangers of e-cigarettes and vapes and working to mitigate these harmful
impacts?
372. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Health:
I
refer to growing concerns and misconceptions about vaping, particularly in
regard to the safety of vaping. Can the minister outline to the house
how the McGowan Labor government is ensuring that Western Australians are aware
of the dangers of e-cigarettes and vapes and working to mitigate these harmful
impacts?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Southern
River for the question; I know that he takes a strong interest in this issue.
We
know that vaping amongst teens and young people is on the rise. Many people are
under the misapprehension that vaping is safer than smoking and that vapes do
not contain nicotine—that it is a safe product. That could not be
further from the truth. Nicotine is probably the least harmful chemical or
component of vaping. Research undertaken locally has found that vaping liquids
regularly include disinfectants, pesticides, heavy metals and other harmful
substances found in cleaning products
and nail polish removers. These chemicals can have harmful impacts, with many
linked to bladder and lung cancers. They can make people very, very sick. It is
not a risk-free alternative to smoking.
Last week, the Minister for Education and Training and I launched a toolkit for
schools to help educate teachers, parents and
kids about the dangers of vaping. The toolkit is based on evidence-based
resources produced by New South Wales Health that have had an impact on
vaping in that community and raised awareness of the harmful effects of vaping. It includes factsheets, posters,
newsletters and content for schools to adapt that are targeted at
students in years 8, 9 and 10 and are in line with the WA curriculum. We know
that kids are being targeted when vaping flavours like bubblegum and cupcake
are being produced and when outlets are positioned near schools. The toolkit is
a one-stop shop resource that provides guidance for schools on prevention and
education, as well as consistent approaches to dealing with vaping on school
premises.
We
are also beefing up compliance in this space. It is illegal in Western Australia
to sell e-cigarettes, vapes or vaping products to anyone—full
stop—regardless of their age. The only way someone can legally buy
vapes or vaping products is with a prescription
from a doctor as part of a quitting smoking program, and purchased from a pharmacist. That is the only way to legally buy them. In Bunbury last month, in
a Department of Health–Western Australia Police Force joint operation,
950 e-cigarettes and two cartons of tobacco were seized from a food business—out
the back of a kebab shop. The Department of Health is ramping up its compliance
activity. The maximum penalty for selling e-cigarettes and vapes is between $10
000 and $20 000 for individuals, and up to $40 000 for businesses that do not
do the right thing. More than 16 000 illegal nicotine vaping products have been
seized over the last few years. I particularly
want to thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and
Training, the member for Southern River, and the Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister for Health, who is away on parliamentary business, for their
work on the consultation and development of the toolkit and compliance
activities, which we will continue to roll out across the state.
River for the question; I know that he takes a strong interest in this issue.
We
know that vaping amongst teens and young people is on the rise. Many people are
under the misapprehension that vaping is safer than smoking and that vapes do
not contain nicotine—that it is a safe product. That could not be
further from the truth. Nicotine is probably the least harmful chemical or
component of vaping. Research undertaken locally has found that vaping liquids
regularly include disinfectants, pesticides, heavy metals and other harmful
substances found in cleaning products
and nail polish removers. These chemicals can have harmful impacts, with many
linked to bladder and lung cancers. They can make people very, very sick. It is
not a risk-free alternative to smoking.
Last week, the Minister for Education and Training and I launched a toolkit for
schools to help educate teachers, parents and
kids about the dangers of vaping. The toolkit is based on evidence-based
resources produced by New South Wales Health that have had an impact on
vaping in that community and raised awareness of the harmful effects of vaping. It includes factsheets, posters,
newsletters and content for schools to adapt that are targeted at
students in years 8, 9 and 10 and are in line with the WA curriculum. We know
that kids are being targeted when vaping flavours like bubblegum and cupcake
are being produced and when outlets are positioned near schools. The toolkit is
a one-stop shop resource that provides guidance for schools on prevention and
education, as well as consistent approaches to dealing with vaping on school
premises.
We
are also beefing up compliance in this space. It is illegal in Western Australia
to sell e-cigarettes, vapes or vaping products to anyone—full
stop—regardless of their age. The only way someone can legally buy
vapes or vaping products is with a prescription
from a doctor as part of a quitting smoking program, and purchased from a pharmacist. That is the only way to legally buy them. In Bunbury last month, in
a Department of Health–Western Australia Police Force joint operation,
950 e-cigarettes and two cartons of tobacco were seized from a food business—out
the back of a kebab shop. The Department of Health is ramping up its compliance
activity. The maximum penalty for selling e-cigarettes and vapes is between $10
000 and $20 000 for individuals, and up to $40 000 for businesses that do not
do the right thing. More than 16 000 illegal nicotine vaping products have been
seized over the last few years. I particularly
want to thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and
Training, the member for Southern River, and the Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister for Health, who is away on parliamentary business, for their
work on the consultation and development of the toolkit and compliance
activities, which we will continue to roll out across the state.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.