Push to increase legal smoking age to 21 but NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says ‘no’
SMOKING would be illegal until the age of 21 under a proposal to be considered by Australia’s health ministers and to be discussed in Sydney on Friday but NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard is vehemently opposed.
NSW
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SMOKING would be illegal until the age of 21 under a proposal to be considered by Australia’s health ministers.
West Australian Health Minister Roger Cook is pushing the plan, which is on the agenda for a high-level meeting tomorrow in Sydney.
But NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has slammed the proposal despite saying last October he would look at all options to halt the rising numbers of smokers and adding that no one would be able to smoke “until they were about 100” if he had his way.
But Mr Hazzard now warns raising the legal smoking age would drive the habit underground and that punitive measures were not the answer to cutting rates of smoking.
It has been revealed mining magnate Andrew Forrest has lobbied governments to increase the age limit from 18 to 21 as part of his broader assault on the tobacco industry, which included a plan to sue the industry for the health problems inflicted on smokers.
Almost 17 per cent of 16-24 years in NSW smoke.
“There’s no question cigarette smoking is a disaster for individuals and for the community — as NSW Health Minister I support WA in their effort to raise it for discussion, but I would find it difficult to support arbitrarily picking a change in the age from 18 to 21,” Mr Hazzard said.
“I think if we did that it would drive smoking in effect underground — kids aren’t going to stop. It continues to be about education not punitive measures.”
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Also on the agenda for the Council of Australia Government’s Health Council meeting is overhauling mandatory reporting laws to make it easier for doctors to seek help for mental health problems without fear of losing their jobs.
NSW is paving the way in rewriting the laws after a spate of suicides among young doctors.
“(Federal Health) Minister Greg Hunt and I are on a unity ticket here that we both want to achieve an outcome where doctors know they can be patients safely ... they won’t feel they will lose their career for talking about issues which the rest of us can talk about safely,” Mr Hazzard said.
He said the law was being rewritten to ensure patients were still safeguarded from dangerous doctors, especially those who engaged in sexual misconduct.
Also on the agenda is introducing an endometriosis action plan in each state.