- Vape possession to result in loss of students’ good standing
- Mandatory programs for Years 5 to 7 students designed to outline dangers of vaping
- Education Minister to raise awareness by writing to all school parents
The Cook Labor Government is introducing strong new measures to stamp out vaping in schools.
New school behaviour policies have been updated and will result in a loss of a student’s good standing if found in possession of a vape. This means students caught vaping will risk being unable to attend school events like balls, graduations, and other extra-curricular activities.
Other initiatives include:
- Mandatory programs for Years 5 to 7 students designed to outline dangers of vaping before they embark on their secondary education
- New teaching and learning resources to deliver prevention education in addition to the WA Schools Anti-vaping Toolkit resources for Years 8 to 10 introduced in June 2022
- Education Minister to write to all parents to highlight health risks of vaping
- A trial of vape detectors announced last year to be expanded to include up to 10 schools
The new policies are aimed at reducing the use of vapes in schools and addressing community concerns around their harmful effects among school-aged children, and build on the State Government’s work to date to address vaping in schools through the vaping toolkit.
It also continues the Cook Government’s commitment to anti-vaping measures including supporting the Commonwealth’s import ban with new legislation and ending vape sales in convenience stores and other retail settings.
The Cook Government is also providing $375,000 to the Cancer Council to develop a digital education campaign and more than $2.4 million to deliver the ‘Make Smoking History’ campaign.
The facts can be found ateducation.wa.edu.au/drug-education.
As stated by Education Minister Dr Tony Buti:
“The prevalence of vapes in our community is a serious issue.
“The biggest misunderstanding is they are harmless compared to cigarettes – this is not true – vapes are not safe and they are contributing to a new generation of nicotine dependency.
“We are confident these new measures, alongside other initiatives across Government, will help to reduce the impact these dangerous products are having on our community particularly our children and young people.”
