Wednesday, 1 November 2023

Statements on tabled papers and petitions

Department of Health

Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2023–2027

Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (17:15): I rise to speak on the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2023–2027, which was tabled on 3 October this year, particularly the sections in the plan relating to the need to reduce harm from tobacco and e-cigarette use. I am sure I am not alone as a member of this place or of the other place in talking to more and more parents who are coming to me concerned about the effects that e-cigarettes and vaping are having on their children and particularly the ease with which anyone can buy e-cigarettes and the profoundly negative effects that e-cigarette consumption and addiction are having on new generations.

Ms Payne asked a question in question time today and there was an article in the paper recently about new research that showed clear links between vaping and mental health challenges. It raised that children who start vaping have clear red flags when it comes to their mental health, finding that the links between vaping use amongst children and mental health challenges were so clear that one expert recommended mental health assessments and supports for children who start vaping. There is also growing international research which shows vaping increases the risk of mood and anxiety disorders and can worsen symptoms of depression. That should alarm all of us.

We know that despite the industry claiming that many of their products do not, a lot of e-cigarettes and vapes do contain levels of nicotine in extremely high doses and that nicotine is highly addictive and as a chemical can impede the brain development of young people. In addition to nicotine, single disposable e-cigarette products can contain up to 200 dangerous chemicals, and more and more young people are using them. A national survey showed that of people between the ages of 15 and 30 years almost half had reported either being current users or having used e-cigarettes in the past. This is a significant and alarming number of people consuming these highly addictive and harmful products.

The 2023–27 public health and wellbeing plan brings vaping into focus as a key priority to drive action, and it is pleasing that both the Commonwealth government and the state government have been working together to take that action to protect the health particularly of young people but also many across the community from the ill effects of e-cigarettes. It is deeply worrying, both the way in which shopfronts have been trying to lure kids in with lollies to sell them e-cigarettes and the way that vape promotion is occurring quite extensively on social media, exposing more and more young Australians to this practice despite the general ban on e-cigarette advertising. A joint report by VicHealth and Quit examined online marketing tactics of the vaping industry, finding many TikTok and Instagram accounts that post vaping content are masquerading as individual accounts but in fact are directly linked to an online vape store. This kind of practice is unacceptable, and I urge the Commonwealth to look into this.

E-cigarettes are undermining years of progress that we have made, particularly here in Victoria, in reducing tobacco-related harm, and too many young Victorians are exposing themselves to the unknown long-term impacts every day that they inhale these dangerous products. We know that inhaling things into our lungs, whether it is nicotine or asbestos or silica dust or what is in these vaping products, can have serious effects on our health, and that is exactly why it is important that the Commonwealth and the states are working together to take action and do something about this health crisis. We are acting and we have to act urgently to ensure that new generations do not become addicted to this latest harmful product. The push to end this practice needs everyone to lend their voice and support the regulatory action that is being taken at a Commonwealth level to ban the sale of vapes. It is something that we should all support as members of this house concerned about health in our community.