Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Curtin very much for moving this motion, which is very important for the health and wellbeing of the Australian public and, in particular, Australian children, who are being targeted by the tobacco industry. I can start my speech by saying that the tobacco industry is an industry as malignant as the diseases it causes. It wanders the corridors of parliament, trying to lobby politicians to maintain its business model. I have long been concerned about the vaping industry, which has been promoted by the tobacco industry as part of their business model.

In 2018, with the chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, I and other members of parliament conducted an inquiry into vaping and vaping products. I think it's illustrated really by one thing. We had a lot of evidence from people all around the country who were pro-vape, anti-vape, doctors, vaping groups, patients, smokers et cetera, but I remember very well the public meeting we had in Sydney where the so-called 'medical' representative of British American Tobacco had come from England to give evidence. When I asked her whether the industry itself was conducting any research into the side effects or any of the long-term effects of vaping, she looked at the floor and didn't answer to start with. She then looked up, look down again and said, 'No.' We asked her again, 'Are you doing any research into the effects of vaping?' The answer was no. That's how bad this industry is, and yet we still see them wandering the halls of parliament and meeting with politicians. We know that one group, Philip Morris, donated $55,000 to the National Party in the last election and also $55,000 to the Liberal Democrats. They are still trying to lobby the parliament to allow free access to vaping for children, really for adolescents to adults, somehow in the misguided thought that they may stop people smoking. There is no evidence to suggest that. I think that the prescription model we have in Australia is a really good one. The only argument the tobacco industry has to that is that in other countries they allow free access to vaping.

Australia has had some of the best antitobacco legislation in the world and we should not compromise it by allowing free access to vaping. The products are not tested. We know that even though they say they don't contain nicotine, most products do. They are targeted at children, as the member for Curtin has already mentioned. There are flavours like watermelon, peaches and cream—things that clearly target children as a way to get them into nicotine addiction. And nicotine addiction is one of the strongest addictions that you can have. People who are addicted to nicotine have a much smaller chance of being able to be weaned from it than, for example, people who are addicted to alcohol. It is a terrible addiction.

Effective legislation can stop this, and we have to fight to continue it. There have been multiple inquiries. After our 2018 inquiry into vaping, in 2019 the tobacco industry managed to get one of their favoured politicians, who's still in this parliament, to start yet another inquiry into vaping. They wanted to make it available through retail outlets virtually to everyone. They said it would be restricted to people over 18, but there's very little way of enforcing that at all. The Retailers Association has been somehow coerced into agreeing that it's a good thing to have vaping available through petrol stations, corner stores and retail outlets everywhere.

The tobacco industry has not given up its fight. They should not still be wandering the corridors of this parliament, trying to coerce politicians into agreeing to their very flawed and dangerous business model. Once again, I thank the member for Curtin for bringing this motion to the parliament. It is very important that we maintain vigilance. Vaping is not something we want our children to be doing. It is yet another pathway to be addicted to nicotine, and it's disgraceful that there is yet another attempt for this by the tobacco industry.

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