Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak this afternoon on the new scourge on our community—that is, vaping. I have mentioned many times in this place how disappointed we are in the Liberals, Nationals and Greens for not supporting legislation to change the vaping laws here in Australia. Vaping predominantly affects young people and the industry targets them. We know that shops are setting up very close to schools, but it is the Albanese Labor government, once again, leading the charge to ban vaping in this country.

When it comes to people using vapes for giving up nicotine and smoking, of course they will still have access to them. We want to get them off the cigarettes. But the reality is we need the support in this place and in the other chamber from the Liberals, the Nationals and the Greens, who seem to be putting young people's votes as a priority rather than young people's health because they don't really care about them.

It was a Labor government who led the charge on plain packaging of cigarettes under former minister Nicola Roxon. Now we have the minister for health, the honourable Mark Butler, again leading the charge to eradicate the scourge of vaping. It is a serious issue, and we know two-thirds of young people who vape will go on to smoke cigarettes. It is bad for our health. It is bad for young people. We need to take the leadership at a national level, so I'm calling on the Greens, the Liberals, the Nationals and those on the crossbench to support the legislation when it comes into this place. There is nothing more valuable than young people, and our young Australians need to be protected from this scourge on our society. I urge you to support that legislation—