JAYNIE SEAL, SKY NEWS REGIONAL BREAKFAST PRESENTER: Joining me live is Emma McBride, Assistant Rural and Regional Health Minister. Thank you so much for joining us. We just heard there it was a secret deal and the pharmacists are furious. Why were they not told?
EMMA MCBRIDE, ASSISTANT MINISTER: Australia had some of the toughest tobacco control laws in the world, and under the former Coalition government, nicotine vaping just went out of control. It was creating the next generation of nicotine addicts amongst young Australians. We know that young Australians who try vaping are 3 times more likely to take up smoking. Nicotine vapes were presented to governments and to communities as a way of smoking cessation, but what they have created is a gateway for the next generation of nicotine dependency. What the Government has done has introduced world-leading legislation, including from 1 January, stopping single-use disposable vapes being able to be imported into Australia; and now strengthening that, making sure that nicotine vapes that were presented as a smoking cessation product will be provided in the clinical setting.
As a pharmacist myself trained in nicotine cessation, I know that this will make such a difference. We have to protect the next generation of young Australians. Most of these vape stores are opening up within walking distance of schools. Every principal, school teacher, parent I've spoken to is supportive of Labor's changes. This is really important public health initiative, and one that as a pharmacist and a local MP and as Assistant Health Minister, I'm very pleased to strongly back in.
JAYNIE SEAL: And Cancer Victoria have come out saying the Bill might not be perfect, but we can't wait for perfect. You mentioned that you've been a pharmacist for, I believe, around 20 years. But from that point of view then, would you have been angry if you were a pharmacist and not being consulted? I mean, obviously you're saying that there's certainly some valid reasons to your laws. But just – yeah, obviously the pharmacists are angry.
EMMA MCBRIDE: My main concern as a pharmacist and as an Assistant Health Minister, particularly responsible for rural and regional health, we had some of the lowest rates of smoking in the world. What we saw, vapes were presented to governments and to communities as a way of smoking cessation. But the way that they've been marketing – cynically marketed to children with bubble gum flavours and unicorns was a deliberate intention to create the next generation of smokers. And we've seen that a third of young people who try vaping, and they're trying vaping at 11 years old, 12 years old, are then going on to smoke tobacco. So what we needed to do was to make sure that we stamped out illegal single-use vapes, and we did that in January and stopped it at the borders. Now, what we're doing is making sure that for people who legitimately want to use this as a way of smoking cessation, that they can see their pharmacists, have a consultation with them, be offered alternative forms of nicotine cessation. They'll have to be over 18 and show their licence. We're putting really strong restrictions on vapes, including the amount of nicotine that's in the vapes, and they're presented in ways, like a clinical product, to stop the next generation of nicotine addicts.
So as a pharmacist myself and as Assistant Health Minister, I'm really proud of the reforms that we've made and the difference that this will make to young people, particularly protecting them from being becoming, you know, hooked on smoking.
JAYNIE SEAL: Well, again looking at Cancer Victoria, in the past year, more than 400,000 teenagers reported vaping at least monthly, if not more. So certainly it's great to see this on the table, regardless of what people are thinking in terms of the actual law. Before we let you go, we've just got about 30 seconds, what is on the agenda for today in Parliament?
EMMA MCBRIDE: We have seen some important discussion in the Parliament, particularly about cost-of-living relief. We know that people are under pressure. And from 1 July, in just five days time, we'll see every Australian taxpayer get a tax cut and every Australian household get energy bill relief. And 2.6 million of the lowest paid Australians will get their third pay increase under a Labor government, so a really strong and continued focus by our Government on cost-of-living relief for Australians feeling the pinch.
JAYNIE SEAL: All right. Assistant Rural and Regional Health Minister Emma McBride, thank you very much and we'll see you again soon.
EMMA MCBRIDE: Good to be with you.