David Littleproud has conceded the Coalition “failed” to stop children vaping when it was in power as he again made the case for relaxing laws around the use of e-cigarettes.
The Nationals leader argued the law introduced by former health minister Greg Hunt which required Australians to get a doctor’s prescription in order to legally purchase e-cigarettes had led to an explosion in vapes being sold under the counter, especially to children.
As the Albanese government considers reforms to crack down on illegal vaping, the Nationals have endorsed a policy to allow nicotine vapes to be sold legally at shops without a prescription so they can be regulated in a similar manner to traditional cigarettes.
Despite the junior Coalition partner’s proposal being rubbished by several health experts, Mr Littleproud was out advocating for the policy again on Monday.
“Well, we tried, and I’ve got to say we failed when we were in government,” he told Sky News.
“We’ve got to protect children, we’ve got to protect them quickly and look at the regulatory models that have worked and be big enough to admit when we’ve got it wrong.”
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has recommended a crackdown on vaping after the medicines regulator received more than 4000 public submissions in response to the government’s proposed vaping reforms aimed at tackling rising youth vaping rates.
Health Minister Mark Butler, who has called vaping a “public health menace”, will consider the TGA’s recommendations along with his state and territory counterparts and has promised to create a “package of reforms” in response.
Australia is expected to retain its prescription-only approach to vaping but is predicted to toughen border controls, including requiring importers to have a permit in an effort to clamp down on the flourishing black market in which vapes are widely available.
The TGA received many submissions from individuals and retailers who proposed scrapping e-cigarette prescriptions in favour of a model which would allow vapes to be sold – and regulated – like cigarettes, but this isn’t expected to be taken up.
The Nationals – who still accept donations from the tobacco industry – want vapes to be subject to flavouring and packaging restrictions as well as an excise similar to the one imposed on conventional tobacco products.
On Monday, Mr Littleproud pushed back against suggestions the Nationals’ policy would normalise vaping.
“I’m sorry – Mark Butler, and the Albanese government need to walk the streets,” he said.
“They are normalised already, and sadly they are normalised with children.
What we are saying is let’s look at what has worked in terms of regulatory guardrails.”
Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin has slammed the Nationals’ proposal, saying last month the policy was dangerous and “guaranteed” to commit today’s children and future generations to lifelong nicotine addiction.
“By being the only major political party in Australia that takes tobacco industry money – at least $276,062 between 2015-16 and 2021-22 from Philip Morris Ltd – the Nationals have ensured its views on this issue are worse than irrelevant,” he said.
“It invites the community, and any serious policy makers, to see its pronouncements on tobacco and vaping to be likely to be influenced by the industry which seeks to continue to profit from ill health and nicotine addiction.”