Smokefree environments repeal

Its journey through Parliament

What it does

Why it defined this election

A reversal that became a flashpoint in public-health policy — and over whether health policy was changed for revenue.

Public response

Health officials and experts urged the government to keep parts of the law, and it drew international attention as a world-first policy being reversed. The government gave two reasons: Associate Health Minister Casey Costello argued the untested regime risked a black market and prohibition-style harms, while Finance Minister Nicola Willis had linked the repeal to the tobacco tax revenue the coalition’s fiscal plan relied on — which critics said meant reversing health policy for revenue.

Who championed it

National-led government; Associate Health Minister Casey Costello.

Where it landed

Now law. The three measures were repealed before they took effect. How to keep driving smoking rates down — and how to regulate vaping — remains a live debate.

Sources