Kate Chaney MP - Independent
- Pippa Starr
- May 15, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 24
15 May 2024
" I'm supportive of any measures that will curb the insidious uptake of nicotine vaping by our young people. The rapid rise of vaping amongst young people is a huge issue in my community. It was one of the first issues that were raised with me when I was elected, and it continues to be raised again and again by constituents. I've had more than 40 individual emails about kids and young adults vaping, all of them worried about the harmful long-term health effects of nicotine addiction."
Kate Chaney Is Wrong, Here's Why:
Kate Chaney MP’s speech is filled with misconceptions, fear-based arguments, and a lack of understanding of harm reduction science. Below is a fact-based rebuttal, explaining why her arguments are incorrect.
1. “The rapid rise of vaping amongst young people is a huge issue.”
The Facts: Youth Vaping Should Be Addressed, But Banning Vapes Will Worsen the Problem
The majority of young people who try vaping do not become regular users, and youth smoking rates continue to decline in countries with legal vaping access.
Regulated retail sales with strict age verification, as seen in the UK and New Zealand, are more effective in reducing youth vaping than outright bans.
Banning vapes will push young people towards illegal, unregulated products, increasing harm instead of preventing it.
Youth vaping should be addressed through proper enforcement and education, not through prohibitionist policies that also punish adult smokers.
2. “Australia was a world leader in tobacco control, but we’ve lost our way.”
The Facts: Australia Is Falling Behind in Harm Reduction, Not Tobacco Control
The UK, New Zealand, and Canada have embraced vaping as a key tool in reducing smoking rates, while Australia is doubling down on failed prohibition policies.
The UK’s Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England have endorsed vaping as a significantly safer alternative to smoking, with major success in reducing smoking prevalence.
By failing to regulate vaping properly, Australia has created one of the world’s largest black markets for nicotine vapes, undermining public health and youth protection.
Tobacco harm reduction should be the priority, but Australia is instead treating vaping as though it is as harmful as smoking, which contradicts global scientific evidence.
3. “This bill will help stamp out the illicit vaping black market.”
The Facts: Prohibition Increases Black Market Activity, Not Reduces It
Australia’s previous restrictions on vaping have already led to a booming black market, making it easier for youth to access illegal, high-nicotine products with no safety regulations.
Countries that allow regulated retail vape sales have stronger enforcement against illegal products and better control over what is sold to consumers.
Banning vapes will not eliminate demand—it will only shift supply to criminal networks, as has been seen with alcohol prohibition and drug bans.
If Australia wants to crack down on black market sales, it should introduce a well-regulated retail market with strict age restrictions, rather than banning legal sales.
4. “Vape shops are opening near schools, which proves they are targeting children.”
The Facts: Black Market Sales, Not Retail Stores, Are the Main Source of Youth Vaping
In countries with legal vape markets, vape shops are strictly regulated and cannot sell to minors.
If vape sales were properly regulated, it would be easier to enforce age restrictions and prevent sales to youth.
The real issue is Australia’s failure to regulate the market, allowing illegal stores to operate without consequences.
5. “We need to criminalize vape suppliers to protect young Australians.”
The Facts: Punishing Suppliers While Keeping Cigarettes Legal Is Counterproductive
This bill will criminalize vape supply while leaving deadly cigarettes widely available—this is completely illogical from a public health perspective.
Countries with sensible vaping regulations have seen continued declines in smoking rates, showing that vapes are not leading to more smoking.
The best way to protect young people is to introduce strict regulations on legal vape sales, rather than banning them outright and pushing consumers towards illegal sources.
6. “The tobacco lobby wants to tax vapes, but they are really just protecting their interests.”
The Facts: Banning Vapes Helps Big Tobacco, Not Hurts It
If the government bans vapes, it will drive people back to cigarettes, benefiting Big Tobacco more than anyone else.
In countries where vaping is allowed, cigarette sales continue to decline, which is exactly why Big Tobacco has tried to slow down vape regulations where it can.
By failing to regulate vaping properly, the government is doing Big Tobacco’s job for them—protecting cigarette sales while pretending to fight nicotine addiction.
7. “Nicotine in vaping is damaging and addictive.”
The Facts: Nicotine Alone Is Not the Problem—Smoking Is
Nicotine, while addictive, is not the cause of smoking-related diseases—it's the tar, carbon monoxide, and thousands of toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke that cause harm.
Nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, sprays) has been used safely for decades, and vaping provides a more effective alternative for smokers looking to quit.
By limiting access to vapes, the government is making it harder for smokers to transition away from cigarettes, increasing smoking-related harms.
8. “Nonsmokers who vape are three times more likely to take up smoking.”
The Facts: The “Gateway Effect” Is Misleading and Unproven
Studies claiming that vaping leads to smoking fail to prove causation—correlation does not mean vaping is causing smoking.
Real-world data shows that in countries where vaping is legally available, smoking rates continue to decline, demonstrating that vaping is replacing smoking rather than promoting it.
If vaping were truly leading to more smoking, youth smoking rates would be increasing—but they are not.
9. “We are hearing concerns about young people transitioning from vaping to smoking.”
The Facts: This Is a Fear-Based Argument That Ignores Evidence
If vaping were a gateway to smoking, youth smoking rates would be increasing, but they are at record lows in countries with legal vaping access.
Young people who experiment with vaping are often the same group that would have experimented with smoking in the past—vaping is not creating new smokers.
Banning vapes while leaving cigarettes available will only push more people toward traditional smoking, which is far more harmful.
10. “The success of this legislation depends on state and federal cooperation.”
The Facts: The Success of Public Health Policy Should Be Based on Evidence, Not Politics
If Australia truly wanted to protect public health, it would follow the successful harm reduction models seen in the UK and New Zealand.
The success of this legislation will not be determined by enforcement, but by whether it helps reduce smoking rates—and all evidence suggests it will do the opposite.
Public health policies should be based on science, not fear, and Australia’s vaping bans ignore global evidence in favor of prohibitionist ideology.
A More Effective Approach
Kate Chaney MP’s speech is based on fear-mongering, misinformation, and a failure to understand harm reduction science. Instead of doubling down on prohibitionist policies that have already failed, Australia should adopt a regulated, evidence-based vaping policy, similar to the UK and New Zealand where:
✅ Smoking rates continue to fall.
✅ Youth vaping is controlled through proper retail regulation.
✅ Black markets are minimized.
✅ Adult smokers have legal access to a harm reduction tool.
By banning legal vapes, the Australian government is driving people back to smoking, strengthening criminal networks, and failing to protect youth. A legal, regulated market is the real solution.
