E-cigarettes in Australasia

New Zealand: The association Action for Smokefree 2025 has submitted a paper on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill, proposing that general retailers should be permitted to sell e-liquids in fruit and other sweet flavours, and not be limited to tobacco, mint and menthol. The bill, which aims mainly to reduce the number of smoked tobacco products, is currently under analysis by the Health Committee.

New Zealand: From tomorrow, 11th August, all retailers of vaping products must ensure the products they are selling conform to the new packaging regulations. This includes both general retailers and specialist vape stores. Among the rules are new health warnings and newly prohibited features on packaging.

Australia: More than 15,000 nicotine-containing e-cigarettes have been seized in Western Australia in an operation analysing the content of e-cigarettes that were claimed not to contain nicotine. The state authorities have put more than 3,000 retailers on notice, advising them that the sale of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes other than by a pharmacy and without a medical prescription is banned.

New Zealand: Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), which represents 78 local, regional and unitary councils, has called on the government to limit retail availability of vaping products and impose proximity restrictions on vape stores. LGNZ president Stuart Crosby said: “We welcome the recent changes that include restrictions around the sale of vapes and advertising and sponsorship but vapes are still available in too many places in our communities.”

New Zealand: The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill, which would set a limit on vaping retailers and ban the sale of smokable tobacco products to anyone born after 1st January 2009, is now open for comment until 24th August.

New Zealand: The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill was approved at its first reading in Parliament. The bill is aimed primarily at reducing the number of retailers who can sell smoking products, while it also includes a ban on the sale of smoking products to anyone born on or after 1st January 2009. The bill is now with the Health Committee, which will prepare a report on it before submitting it for second reading. Commenting on the bill, associate health minister Ayesha Verall said she was not happy with the current rate of youth vaping, but added that vaping was a helpful “quit tool” and that its harm was “nowhere on the scale of tobacco”.

New Zealand: Associate health minister Ayesha Verall has introduced a bill setting new requirements for entry into the combustible tobacco and vaping products retail markets. The bill is part of the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Plan and is aimed primarily at reducing the number of retailers who can sell smoking products. Among the measures is a ban on the sale of smoking products to anyone born on or after 1st January 2009.

Australia: A change of government, following the weekend’s election, could have a direct impact on nicotine and innovative tobacco products in the country. The Australian Labor Party, which has promised to crack down on “unhealthy products”, now has 75 seats in the House of Representatives (out of 151) and 26 in the Senate (out of 76). This approach, together with the existing 2030 National Tobacco Strategy, which will be focused on reducing tobacco lobbying and holding public campaigns warning of the dangers of tobacco products, is sure to play a big role in future regulation.

Australia: Western Australia’s Department of Health has reported that it seized 950 nicotine-containing e-cigarettes which were being sold without a doctor’s prescription, which has been illegal in Australia since 1st October 2021. Western Australia does not differentiate between nicotine-containing and nicotine-free vaping products, prohibiting non-prescription sales of either.