Page 4017 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 30 November 2022
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Again, to reference the ACT Health and TGA work, they found that two-thirds of the vaping products seized in the ACT were not labelled as containing nicotine but did. Children access these; so they could be inadvertently vaping nicotine without even knowing it. There are ever-increasing media stories of young people addicted to vaping. The Quitline released a statement recently that calls to the Quitline in respect to vaping are increasing in number rapidly.
So last year I put forward a motion calling on the ACT government to take action to prevent harm caused by vaping and e-cigarettes, particularly for young people in our community. This included the development of programs to educate and inform Canberrans, particularly younger people, about the risks of e-cigarettes and prevent their uptake and use; reviewing current legislation; and advocating for amendments to commonwealth legislation.
It is fantastic to see that this problem is not being placed in the too-hard basket, because standalone legislative change will have little impact. I am sure Canberra parents will be glad to hear, as I am, that ACT Health and the Education Directorate are working together to strengthen prevention strategies. The development of educational materials and the inclusion of e-cigarettes is an incredibly important piece of work. We teach young people in our schools about the risks of smoking, of unsafe sex, of drugs, of dangerous driving, and now we will also include the dangers of e-cigarettes.
Additionally, to have the government developing a communication strategy for a public health campaign is fantastic. This is such important work, and I would like to thank Minister Stephen-Smith and Minister Berry for working on this issue and for driving reform in the ACT. Minister Stephen-Smith, thank you for your work with colleagues at the federal, state and territory level and your continued advocacy on this issue.
Parents in Canberra can be sure that the ACT government is taking this issue seriously and that I will continue to advocate on their behalf to work in this space.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bimberi Youth Justice Centre—report
Ministerial statement
MS DAVIDSON (Murrumbidgee—Assistant Minister for Families and Community Services, Minister for Disability, Minister for Justice Health, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Veterans and Seniors) (10.51): I am pleased to present the 10th Bimberi Headline Indicators Report. This report has been tabled biannually for five years now and demonstrates the ACT government’s ongoing commitment to both transparency for Bimberi Youth Justice Centre’s operations and performance and the safety, health and wellbeing of the young people detained there.
The 10th report provides data for the 2021-22 financial year. It provides for continuing scrutiny of a range of indicators relating to the safety and care of the
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