Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

Can I take this opportunity to thank you and Senator Jacqui Lambie for your collaboration on this bill. I know that tremendous effort has gone into getting the legislation to where it is and I certainly hear your thoughts there in your statement. There's been lots of data collected and reported already, by AIHW and ABS, as you would know, and what I've said previously in committee is that the legislation commits us to undertake an independent review of the bill and associated instruments within three years. The reason for that is that we need to be able to collate data over that period of time. You're right, election cycles have a habit of interfering with all sorts of things. That's just me throwing that in, but I am conscious that that timeframe is important. I also want to reassure the Senate and the parliament that that independent review will take place as part of this piece of legislation.

The government is using a range of resources and data to monitor the impacts of the vaping reforms over the short and longer term. It's important to note that these reforms include a series of different regulatory activities, many of which are yet to be implemented, and that these reforms are part of a broader suite of regulatory and non-regulatory measures that are being implemented by all Australian governments to reduce rates of vaping and smoking. Clearly, the support of our state and territory counterparts is absolutely essential to ensure that this legislation is successful right across the country. We can't do this on our own, and that requirement of the states and territories is going to be critical, especially in the coming months as the minister meets with the respective health ministers of each state and territory jurisdiction.

We've certainly commenced work with the states and territories and other key partners to develop an evaluation program that includes outcome indicators to monitor progress. The work, as I said, of the states and territories is absolutely critical. We want to work to end recreational vaping. We need to ensure that those hardened smokers who really need a therapeutic vape to help them quit can get one. Most smokers quit without any nicotine replacement tools, but if a hardened smoker finds the resolve to walk into their local pharmacy and say, 'I want to quit,' then we want that pharmacist to have a conversation with them, then and there, and be able to offer the gum, patches or therapeutic vape that might help that smoker give up for good without having to refer them to a GP appointment that might be several days or weeks later, when their resolve might have waned.

Pharmacies will only stock therapeutic vapes without the candy flavours, brightly coloured packaging or sky-high nicotine concentrations. We think that 1 October is an appropriate date for this improved access to take effect. It will allow time for the rigorous systems, protections and oversights to be established, while also ensuring that access is improved before March next year, when the price of tobacco products will rise and a whole range of new smoking protections will see new graphic warnings and changes to the look of cigarettes, tobacco products and packs to make them more dissuasive and less appealing.

Additionally, we think this measure will have a particularly positive impact for consumers in rural and remote areas, who find accessing a general practice a barrier to seeking clinical care. I say to all Australians and those involved in this piece of legislation: thank you for the work that you've done to enable us to put this before the House and before the Senate. It is, as many senators have said, world-leading legislation. I thank all senators for their involvement.