Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm concerned about the rise of vaping that is sweeping through our schools. It's our responsibility as parliamentarians and parents to care for our young people, and that includes stronger policy focused on prevention strategies and campaigning with government, academics, healthcare professionals and teachers to stop vaping. Despite the huge uptake of vaping, there aren't many studies on its long-term impacts, unlike on the well-known damage and cancers caused by cigarettes. We do know that many vapes contain nicotine, making them addictive; we do know that vapes contain harmful chemicals that are often found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer and even bug spray; and we do know that kids are vaping in the toilets at school, in the playground and in the sports change rooms.

Earlier this year, the New South Wales chapter of the AMA, the Australian Medical Association, released a study of students, teachers and parents relating to vaping at a Western Sydney school. The study found that teachers believed between 20 per cent and 60 per cent of students were vaping. Students from all year groups were known to be vaping, and many were doing so at school. Direct social media marketing, peer pressure and seeing older students vaping is linked to a growth in students vaping. I'm hearing of smoke alarms being removed from the toilets at school and students corralling in the bathrooms to vape. The AMA study found that teachers locking toilets during class time reduced vaping. Schools should not have to use this extreme approach to curb— (time expired)