An anti-vaping campaigner says new rules coming into force will have little impact on young people as there are other cheap products they can get their hands on.
Disposable vapes will be "completely banned" and some fines for shops selling to minors will increase tenfold as the Government unveils a "crackdown" on youth vaping.
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said yesterday the maximum fine for retailers found selling vapes or other regulated products to under-18s will increase from $10,000 to $100,000 and the penalty for infringement offences will also rise.
She said reuseable vapes were a key tool for those trying to quit smoking, but disposable vapes were cheap and easy for teens to get their hands on.
New rules will be in place by the end of this year.
The requirement for reusable vapes to have removable batteries and child proofing mechanisms had been pushed back until October 1.
This was to ensure there were enough products still available to help people quit smoking, she said.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Vape-Free Kids spokesperson Tammy Downer said the new rules are "a bit of a smokescreen". She said it's also "really out of touch" with what's actually happening in the market and on the ground.
"Vaping became an issue with the last government and it feels like it's going to be let to continue with this new government.
"Banning disposables is going to make zero impact on youths taking up vaping because the prices are already below $10 for the refillable vapes, the pods, it's not going to change the behaviour at all and it's not going to change the availability of them."
Downer said what would make the most difference to preventing youth vaping is limiting availability. She said there's an estimated 7500 vape stores around the country and she expects that number to grow.
"Also the affordability, they're just too cheap for kids, they're so easy to get a hold of. This banning of disposables is just too little too late, it's not going to change the behaviour of how people are actually using vapes."
She also said the increase in fines was a "hollow threat" because there was not enough enforcement.
Also speaking to Breakfast this morning, Costello said they were taking to time to make sure what they were allowing into the market was closely regulated and was dealing with low-cost products.
There was also a balance between vaping being available a cessation tool, and keeping it out of the hands of young people.
Asked about young people being able to buy vapes online, she said there are still "prosecution processes" if online retailers are caught selling vapes to minors.
As for enforcement, she said there was an issue with health officials being in charge and it was something they were looking at changing.
They were "driving to prioritise prosecutions" for those retailers breaching the rules.
Yesterday Costello reconfirmed that other signalled changes would continue to enter into force today, including the ban on vaping products with images of cartoons or toys on the packaging, and limiting flavour names to generic descriptions.
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