Catholic School Parents Australia has joined representatives from Australia’s leading health and education bodies in urging the federal Parliament to pass crucial vaping reform legislation. Source: The Educator.
A joint press conference, featuring CSPA, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Australian Education Union (AEU), Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) and the Australian Parents Council, underscored the urgent need to protect the nation’s youth from the burgeoning public health crisis of vaping.
Steve Robson, President of the AMA, highlighted the alarming rise in nicotine addiction among children due to vaping.
“Vaping is quite possibly one of the greatest public health challenges that we’re facing at the moment. It has enormous negative consequences for children,” Mr Robson said.
He emphasised that after significant strides in reducing smoking rates, the proliferation of vaping threatens to undo these achievements.
Mr Robson called on parliamentarians to prioritise children’s health over business interests and criticised the National Party for considering vaping as a revenue source.
Correna Haythorpe, President of the AEU, echoed these concerns, saying the issue of vaping is causing increased disruption in schools, not only from its illicit use by students but also due to the level of disengagement that students who vape are exhibiting.
Sarah Rose, spokesperson for CSPA, underscored the collective responsibility to ensure safe learning environments, saying “schools should be places where parents can feel confident that their children are secure and their wellbeing is prioritised”.
“By implementing these reforms, we’re taking a vital step towards ensuring that and safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our students,” she said.
The speakers were unanimous in their support for the proposed reforms, emphasising that vaping should be restricted to a medical context as a temporary aid to help people quit smoking. They condemned the influence of tobacco industry funding on the debate and called for an education campaign to accompany the legislative measures.
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Health and education leaders unite to push for vaping reform (The Educator)
