Market and legal data for the vapour sector in Australia

21st March 2024: Australia: Today, the Australian government introduced a bill amending the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 in order to implement the second stage of the vaping reform measures. The Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024 aims to regulate the importation, domestic manufacture, supply, possession and advertisement of all vapes under the Therapeutic Goods Act. It bans the manufacture of any non-therapeutic vaping product, as well as the sale of any such product that was imported before March 2024 and is still being sold. It also establishes sanctions for the possession of non-therapeutic vaping products, with an exception for personal use.
11th January 2024: Australia: Several anti-vaping and health organisations have launched, alongside the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER), an educational programme to inform children and teenagers about the effects of vaping. The CEO of health foundation VicHealth, Sandro Demaio, said the programme will play a “vital role in reducing and preventing vaping among young people”.
8th January 2024: Australia: A ban on the import of disposable vaping products, regardless of their nicotine content, entered into force on 1st January 2024. Disposable vapes that were imported before this date can still be sold if they meet Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requirements and are sold in pharmacies under prescription. Nicotine-free vapes that were imported prior to that date can also continue to be sold. This means that any disposables that are currently on the market can be sold, but the government will enact a regulation prohibiting their sale in early 2024.
28th November 2023: Australia: Minister for health and aged care Mark Butler has announced in a press conference that disposable vaping products will be banned from 1st January 2024, among other measures. From 1st March 2024, the import of any kind of vape, regardless of its nicotine content, will be banned, unless authorised by the Office of Drug Protection on approval with the conditions set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Those conditions will include plain packaging and prohibition of flavours. Although no bill has been made public yet, Butler has announced that it will be introduced soon.
10th July 2023: Australia: Philip Morris International (PMI) is making arrangements with several Australian pharmacies for the supply of its Veev vaping products below cost, press reports. Nicotine-containing vaping products can currently only be sold at pharmacies and under prescription in the country. Pharmacists have been offered PMI products at a 80% margin if they sign a supply agreement directly with the tobacco company, and as long as they do not sell a packet of two Veev nicotine pods for more than $14.90 or devices for more than $19.90. University of Sydney emeritus professor of public health and tobacco control, Simon Chapman, has accused PMI of “playing a long game here to wreck the prescription access model by disrupting the competition”.
25th May 2023: Australia: The government of Queensland has passed legislation to strengthen the state’s anti-smoking and illicit tobacco laws and their enforcement. The Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Amendment Bill 2023 introduces a licensing scheme for the sale of tobacco, expands the list of non-vaping areas and imposes tougher restrictions on vape sales at licensed venues. A parliamentary inquiry into vaping and e-cigarettes, with a focus on children and teenagers, will also shortly begin, concluding with a Health and Environment Committee report to be made to the Legislative Assembly by 31st August.
23rd May 2023: Australia: The head of the Border Force, Michael Outram, has warned that government plans to prohibit the import of vaping products and make them subject to prescription, regardless of their nicotine content, will not be enough to combat the black market, press reports. “A border ban by itself may be partly effective, but it won’t be fully effective to solve the problem,” he said.
8th May 2023: Australia: Medical associations and organisations hold different views on the government's plan to ban recreational vaping, press reports. While the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Alcohol and Drug Foundation and the Public Health Association of Australia have supported the measure, the chairman of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association has said that the measure could make it more difficult for people wishing to quit smoking, as well as strengthen the black market.
3rd May 2023: Australia: The government has announced an intention to take firm action on vaping products, including banning the import of nicotine-free e-cigarettes, which will only be sold at pharmacies. Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are already heavily restricted and can only be acquired upon prescription at pharmacies. The government is also planning to ban flavours and impose neutral packaging. At the same time, they plan to ease the conditions for prescribing e-cigarettes, so smokers wishing to quit tobacco can access them more easily. Disposable single-use e-cigarettes are planned to be prohibited. No specific date for the measures to be implemented has been announced yet.
28th April 2023: Australia: The health minister is going to announce further restrictions for e-cigarettes, press reports. Mark Butler has said that further restrictions on the importation of e-cigs, plain-packaging requirements and a ban on flavours will be announced in the May budget. These measures are aimed at preventing the spread of the products among teenagers.
13th April 2023: Australia: The South Australia state government has proposed extending restrictions on vaping in outdoor public places, press reports. E-cigarette use would be prohibited on beaches, at public swimming pools, and within 10 m of schools and 5 m of shopping centres.

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