OPENING COMMENT by NDPA:
This file comes in three parts:
A. Post from Minister Mark Butler
B. Response to Minister Butler by Herschel Baker
C. Press Interview by Minister Butler
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A. Post from Minister Mark Butler
Sent: 16 July 2025 10:16
Subject: Good news from Australia Regarding both Vaping and Border Control success stopping illegal drugs importance.
Please find attached Vaping Update from MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING, MINISTER FOR DISABILITY AND THE NDIS; Chris Picton, the Minister for Health in South Australia, and Andrea Michaels who has responsibility for enforcement in South Australia. Also joined by Assistant Commissioner. Tony Smith from the ABF and Professor Becky Freeman from the University of Sydney.
- First of all, we put in import control to ban the import of
disposable vapes. And the work that Border Force and the TGA have done in
particular has been exemplary. Today, we can say that more than 10 million
vapes have been seized by those two Commonwealth agencies, and I want to
thank the officials at Border Force and TGA for their hard work. We have
resourced them to do that job, and they have provided a great return to
the community on that investment and I thank them for it.
- More broadly though, and most importantly perhaps, the research
that Professor Freeman and some others have done is showing that this is making
a difference for young Australians. As I said, vaping rates were exploding
year on year when we were coming to Government. We can now say that the
peak of vaping is behind us, and most research is showing that fewer young
people are vaping and fewer young people are smoking as well. Professor Freeman
will talk about the latest wave of the research she leads out of the
University of Sydney, research that’s supported by the Commonwealth
Government as well as the New South Wales Government and the Cancer
Council.
3.Big Tobacco on the one hand and serious organised crime that is
determined to continue to make money from these very dangerous products, vaping but
also illicit tobacco as well. We know it’s going to be a tough fight. We
know there’s a lot more to do, and we have to do that in close concert
between the Commonwealth and the state governments and territory
governments. But I’m really pleased to say that it looks like we have
turned the corner and at least stopped the explosion in vaping among young
Australians that was emerging as one of the most significant public health
challenges for our community.
- BECKY FREEMAN, PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: Thanks so much for
having me here today. Young people were sold a lie. They were told that
vapes were harmless, they were fun, they were part of a young person’s
lifestyle, and they didn’t need to worry about any impacts on their
health.
That was a lie. We know that young people now, when they look at vaping,
their attitudes have changed. Just a few short years ago when we started
the Gen Vapes study, young people thought, you know, everyone vapes. “It’s
something just young people do. It’s for us, it’s not like your
grandfather’s stinky cigarette.” When we talk to young people now, those
attitudes have shifted. They’re almost ashamed of the fact that they’re
addicted. They can’t believe that something that they were just using at
parties for fun on the weekends, that they were told if they took to music
festivals or used with their friends at parties would be a great way to
enhance their good time. Now their wellbeing is being impacted. They’re
waking up with a vape under their pillow. They can’t believe they can’t go
all day at their lectures or at school without having a vape. I think it’s
really important to remember those public health impacts.
BUTLER: The Gen Vape research? The really pleasing thing about the latest
wave of research from Gen Vape is it shows fewer young people are vaping
and fewer young people are smoking. When we introduced this package of
measures in concert with Ministers like Chris Picton, there was a concern that if
we stopped young people vaping that they might turn to smoking cigarettes.
And I think the really pleasing thing we’re seeing from a number of different
pieces of research is that twin achievement of fewer young people vaping
and fewer young people smoking.
Now, again, I say and I stress this fight is far from over. We still have
a long way to go. The explosion in illicit tobacco around the country,
cheap, illegal cigarettes, is probably now, I think, the biggest threat we have
to our most important public health objective, which is to stop people
smoking.
It’s still the biggest preventable killer of Australians, 60 or 70
Australians will die today and tomorrow and the day after because of
cigarettes. We’ve got a lot more to do to get to those very, very low
rates of smoking that are set out as targets in the National Tobacco Strategy
across all age cohorts, including young Australians. But the fact we
haven’t seen smoking rates increase markedly as we’ve started to clamp down on
vaping rates among young people, I think is one of the really heartening
things that comes out of Gen Vape. I’m not sure whether Professor Freeman
wants to add to that.
FREEMAN: I fully agree. The only thing I would add is let’s remember that
vaping is actually a risk factor for future smoking as well. We know from
the Gen Vape study that young people who vape are at five times the risk
of going on to smoke. So if you can prevent vaping, you’re also going to
prevent future smoking. And this is why you can’t really consider them as
separate behaviours, really, as well. Let’s remember, it’s the same industry
often behind these products as well. There’s a great quote from the study
from a young person. She said: “you know, when I was a young teen, I
absolutely hated smoking. I could not believe anyone would smoke. I’d had
it drilled into me from a very young age, those gross packets. And then I
tried vaping, and it sort of loosened me up. And I thought, oh, well, if I’m
going to vape, maybe I could smoke too.” So I think that prevention of vaping
and prevention of smoking together is super important.
Kind Regards – Minister Mark Butler
B. Response to Minister Butler by Herschel Baker
Herschel Baker
International Liaison Director
Queensland Director
Drug Free Australia
M: 0412988835Prevent.
Don’t Promote Drug
mailto:drugfreeaust@drugfree.org.au
C. Press Interview by Minister Butler
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Source: Good news from Australia Regarding both Vaping and Border Control