’Make a decision’: Katter on vaping rules

The Albanese government has been criticised for its slow response to exploding vaping numbers, with one outspoken MP denouncing the lack of decision making by politicians in power.

Politicians were asked on Monday night’s QandA program what was being done to ensure that e-cigarette products were not being pushed toward children or marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, a question that sparked debate over whether the government was going too far.

Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health Emma McBride took a strong stance against youth vaping.

“What we are going to do is not do what the former government did and just allow this to run rampant,” Ms McBride said

“What big tobacco have done is tricked young people into being the next generation of being nicotine addicts.”

However, it was what she said next that independent Member for Kennedy Bob Katter took issue with.

“What the Health Minister has done is through the TGA asked for the submissions. We are working through the at the moment to work out what will be the most effective and safe options to stop the next generation of becoming addicts,” she said.

Mr Katter said that having an inquiry is all politicians “ever do”.

“This is not for people that have to have an inquiry every time a problem arises,” he said.

“With all due respects, the minister is a lovely lady, but, you know, if you can’t make a decision, then get out of the way and let somebody else govern Australia, please.”

Ms McBride took issue with Mr Katter’s assessment, saying that “what we need to do is make sure that what we do is safe”.

“That‘s what you always have to do and we’ll never get around to doing anything, you‘ve only got a year and a half left in government,” he said.

Mr Katter said he didn’t “know enough about the subject to pass judgment” on whether laws should be ramped up on vaping, however, he said he was “reluctant to just pass legislation every 10 minutes”.

“Every time we have a problem we go out and pass legislation and start throwing people in jail or punishing them, I just crave a freer society,” he said.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said more needed to be done to ensure that Australians were safe from the dangers of vaping.

“I’m not happy with young people vaping, not happy with the million or more Australians vaping, but we must address it,” Mr McCormack said.

“The only way forward to address it is to regulate it in some way so that we have the manufacturing here in Australia, so we are not getting the nasties from the vapes that are coming in.”

However, he was then questioned by host Stan Grant on whether his stance contradicted the fact that the National Party accepted donations from tobacco companies.

Mr McCormack defended the party’s choice to accept the donations, saying the companies were a “legal entity”.