The NSW government is holding a vaping roundtable on 16 November as the next step in its commitment to curbing the growing issue of vaping in NSW schools.
This week, invitations have been extended to key stakeholders to take part.
The roundtable will hear from principals, students, health experts, and other key stakeholders about the community-wide issue of vaping.
The Vaping Roundtable will:
- Hear evidence on how vaping is affecting young people and schools
- Discuss effective school-based vaping interventions
Those invited to the roundtable include:
- NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant
- Manager of the Cancer Council NSW’s Tobacco Control Unit Alecia Brooks
- University of Sydney School of Public Health Associate Professor Becky Freeman
- Leaders from the:
– NSW Department of Education
– NSW Teachers Federation
– NSW P & C Federation
– NSW Advocate for Children and Young People
A number of NSW public, independent and Catholic primary and secondary school principals have also been invited to the roundtable to discuss their experiences of dealing with vaping and vape-related incidents in their schools.
“We’re committed to addressing the prevalence of vaping in NSW schools,” says NSW Premier Chris Minns.
“The evidence suggests that vaping is now becoming a gateway for an increase in smoking rates in young people.
“This is a way to hear directly from schools, health experts and other key stakeholders on how we can begin to address this serious health issue in our schools.”
Information and findings gathered at the roundtable will be used to inform future NSW government policies and interventions into combatting the issue of vaping in schools.
This work comes in addition to $6.8 million invested by the NSW government in cracking down on the sale of illegal vapes, to support young people addicted to vaping.
The work will also complement measures implemented by the Australian government, including its commitment to restrict the sale of vapes and e-cigarettes.
