"'the prohibition model, particularly as it's currently being operated, is not working"
Timeline:
15 May 2024:
"We're very concerned that entrenching this existing failing model will not prevent children from having access to vaping products—it hasn't so far—and will further drive the sale of these products to the black market."
"Now, it takes humility to admit when your policy wasn't quite right. But it's also necessary for us to look at what we've tried to do with the best of intentions as a parliament and change our approach if the approach isn't working,"
"I notice that the AMA and some other health experts support a prohibition model, and people say, 'Oh, we have to listen to the AMA; they're the experts'—or other health groups. No-one's arguing that vaping is good for you. No-one's arguing that vaping is good. And the AMA are not experts in public policy or how to enforce or encourage certain behaviour in people. So, whilst I respect the AMA and I respect their position, I think this is about the mechanism we use in order to get people to stop doing a certain thing. The debate in this place is about prohibition versus a regulated model."
"I think that previous approaches to the reduction of smoking, through a regulated model, indicate that that's the direction we should go in and that the prohibition model, particularly as it's currently being operated, is not working. Again, we all want to see an end to this. How do we do it? We need to have a constructive conversation and be prepared to change our position as the evidence mounts."