Mosman Council to consider banning vaping, e-cigarettes at beaches, parks

The vaping craze sweeping Sydney suburbs has prompted a local council to consider a crackdown that could see vapes and e-cigarette banned in a long list of public places.

Rates of vaping have prompted a planned crackdown by Mosman Council.

The vaping craze sweeping across Sydney suburbs has prompted one council to consider a crackdown which could see vapes and e-cigarettes banned at a long list of public places.

Mosman councillors have unanimously supported a review of the council’s current smoking policy with a view to ban vaping and e-cigarettes from areas where lighting up traditional cigarettes is already outlawed.

The review will consider prohibiting vapes and e-cigarettes at harbour beaches and foreshore reserves including Balmoral, Clifton Gardens and The Spit, as well as parks and reserves.

Other areas where vaping could no longer be permitted include 10m from council-owned children’s playgrounds, council sporting grounds and playing fields, within 10m from council buildings, at designated and signposted alfresco dining areas on council land, council events, and the Mosman Square and Mosman Village Green.

The review has been supported by councillors who raised concerns over a reported rise in young people using vapes and e-cigarettes.

Smoking cigarettes is currently not permitted at Balmoral foreshore.

Councillor Simon Menzies – who put forward the review – said he had witnessed young people, including “huge groups of teenagers”, smoking vapes at local playgrounds.

He said the current smoking policy – dating back 20 years – was out of date as vaping and e-cigarettes “wasn’t an issue” at the time.

E-cigarettes and vapes are included in the review.

Councillor Michael Randall said vaping was a growing area of concern in the community.

“I think that more needs to be done to protect not only our children from the harms of vaping but also our wider community,” he said.

“Even though they say vapes are nicotine-free, there are studies showing they often contain nicotine and hold formaldehyde.”

Mosman High P&C president Georgina Taylor supported the review, saying vaping was an issue in all local government areas across Sydney.

“The accessibility and ease that people can buy vapes seems to be an issue,” she said. “Given all the work we’ve done at stopping second hand smoke around kids and other people in the streets, it’s surprising vaping seems to be everywhere unregulated.”

The review will consider bans on vaping at foreshore areas.

The owner of one north shore vaping shop, who asked not to be named, said he does not sell vapes to minors and questioned the effectiveness of local bans on vaping in certain areas.

“Councils go off on these tangents without knowing what they’re talking about – if people want to vape, banning it in areas won’t work. They’ll go somewhere else,” he said.

“The prescription and prohibition model is the wrong way of looking at it, it needs to be about regulation and education.”

Many health bodies have called for stricter controls on vaping, including the Cancer Council which has warned popularity of vaping has surged especially in young people aged 16-24.

The Australian Medical Association is also calling for plain packaging laws in a plan to fight back against the advertising, promotion and sales of vapes.

A number of north shore schools now have education talks specifically designed to educate students about the risks of vaping, including at Mosman High School.

Mosman councillor Simon Menzies said vaping was a concern in the area.

Councillor Roy Bendall supported the review but noted any future bans would not be able to extend to roads, footpaths and private property.

“With Mosman High kids there’s a lot of it going on – especially in the Mosman RSL carpark. Giving rangers the ability to do something about it will be a good thing,” he said.

The council’s general manager told this month’s council meeting only a small number of fines had been issued by rangers for the current ban on traditional cigarettes.

He said the council had an education approach to the ban, with rangers issuing warnings for those lighting up in areas where smoking is banned.

Mosman Council will also write to the state government calling to ban the sale of all e-cigarettes, except at designated pharmacies and by prescription only.

A council spokeswoman said the review was expected to be completed by mid-2023.