"'The policies we made as a coalition in government haven't worked. Effectively a prohibition model has failed."
Timeline:
15 May 2024:
"I hate cigarette smoking. I support a harm-minimisation approach to vaping"
"Prohibition simply hasn't worked. In an ideal world no-one would be smoking tobacco, and no-one would be addicted to nicotine. But we don't live in an ideal world; we live in the real world. In the real world we need to address the realities of the current e-cigarette climate and the prevalence of their use amongst all age groups, particularly among young Australians. Currently 1.7 million adults are believed to vape in Australia. Approximately just 10 per cent have a current GP's prescription as required by the law. The GP model has not worked. We have to be honest with the Australian public: it simply has not worked. Australia is the only country to adopt the GP restriction model, which has not worked."
"we have effectively outsourced public policy to organised crime. They love it. They love the current policy. Criminal syndicates have flourished under the current legislative regime, and we have seen countless firebombings"
"Continuing with this prohibition model is playing right into the hands of the organised crime gangs and the violent steps they're prepared to take to protect their revenue streams"
"The Nationals' position on this issue has been developed over a period of several years. This is not a position we have reached overnight. It took a lot of research and consultation with key stakeholders."
"Regulation has been successful in significantly reducing tobacco smoking rates across Australia, and the take-up amongst young smokers has also been reduced by good health awareness and prevention campaigns. If you follow this approach, duplicate this approach, we believe that vaping products should be regulated and sold as adult consumer products from licensed retail outlets with strict age verification measures in place, similar to tobacco and alcohol. It's been a proven model. Aggressive media campaigns, no doubt, funded from the revenue received from a regulated industry, would be more effective than the failed prohibition approach."
"Introducing a tightly controlled regulatory model brings our nation into line with the existing policies in place in other comparable countries such as the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and the EU. The Nationals propose the legalisation, regulation and taxing of government-approved nicotine vapes that follow the same general principles of alcohol and cigarette sales."
"I hate cigarette smoking. I support a harm-minimisation approach to vaping"