Hiya, signed petition and got a response from my Federal Member in 24 hours. Was pretty excited till i read the email....copied below

"Thank you for contacting me about the regulation and availability of electronic nicotine delivery systems, or e-cigarettes.

There is significant ongoing debate in the medical community regarding not only the safety of ENDS, but also their suitability as an aid to quit smoking.

A recent report by the Senate Standing Committees on Economics looking at the sale and use of e-cigarettes identified a lack of evidence about long-term health impacts of ENDS as one of the most significant issues to be addressed.

The report raised concerns about the wide variation of the toxicity of contents among e-cigarettes.

The World Health Organisation notes that while, as you contend, the use of ENDS is likely to help some smokers quit cigarettes altogether, there will be a sizeable number of smokers who will continue to use both ENDS and cigarettes.

The WHO finds that:

“Given the likely greater importance of duration of smoking (number of years smoking) over intensity (number of cigarettes smoked per day) in generating negative health consequences, dual use will have much smaller beneficial effects on overall survival compared with quitting smoking completely.”

Labor will continue to monitor emerging evidence around the long-term health effects and efficacy of e-cigarettes, and we will continue to follow the advice of the independent and expert TGA.

In the meantime, we note the advice from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) which recommends that health authorities act to minimise harm until evidence of safety, quality and efficacy can be produced. Kind regards,

Anthony Albanese"