Market & legal data in the tobacco alternatives sector in Australia

29th August 2024: Australia: A legislation establishing penalties for the illegal sale of vaping and tobacco products has been introduced by the South Australian government. The bill aims to sanction with severe penalties the supply of vaping products and tobacco heating devices in places other than pharmacies as well as their sale to under-18s. It also aims to ban nicotine pouches. If the legislation is eventually passed, South Australia will become the state with the toughest penalties on illicit vaping and novel products in the country. Additionally, the government is investing AUD16m (USD11m) in an inspection task force within Consumer and Business Services to crack down on illegal trade of those products.
10th June 2024: Australia: Mark Butler, the minister of health, has launched an advertising campaign aimed at raising awareness about the effects of smoking and consuming tobacco products. The campaign will be run through media platforms, such as TikTok and Spotify, and will focus on four groups: young people, adults who vape, adults who smoke and Indigenous adult smokers. Other measures connected to the campaign include the development of an online cessation hub and an app (My QuitBuddy) to provide support and the regular issuance of updated clinical guidance for health practitioners.
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 heating devices under the Therapeutic Goods Act. It bans the manufacture of any non-therapeutic heating device, as well as the sale of any non-therapeutic product that was imported before March 2024 and is still being sold. It also establishes sanctions for the possession of non-therapeutic heating devices, with an exception for personal use.
13th September 2023: Australia: Health minister Mark Butler has announced that a regulation is about to be introduced to further restrict tobacco products, including heated tobacco products. The bill, if passed, will impose neutral packaging requirements for heated tobacco products and prohibit advertising them at the federal level. The bill also proposes a flavour ban, a measure which had been announced in May 2023. The government expects the bill to come into force on 1st April 2024. Industry would be given a year from that date to comply with requirements, and retailers would be given a further three months.
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-smoking areas and imposes tougher restrictions on cigarette and vape sales at licensed venues. The bill also introduces fines of AUD43,125 ($28,000) for supplying and AUD20,125 ($13,000) for storing illicit tobacco.
13th April 2023: Australia: The South Australia state government has proposed extending the existing restrictions on smoking in outdoor public places, press reports. The use of heated tobacco would be banned, along with smoking, on beaches, at public swimming pools, and within 10 m of schools and 5 m of shopping centres.
24th May 2022: Australia: A change of government, following the weekend’s federal 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.
22nd March 2022: Australia: The Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday published the results of its 2020/21 smoking and vaping prevalence survey. They show 10.7% (2.1m) adults were daily smokers, including 8.3% of those aged 18-24, while 61.2% of adults had never smoked.

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