South Australian Bill Proposes To Ban Tobacco Sales To Those Born After 2009

An independent legislator has put forward ground-breaking legislation that would raise the legal smoking age yearly and eventually prohibit anybody born after 2009 from buying tobacco-related items, in an audacious attempt to reduce tobacco usage among young South Australians.

The proposed bill, which is based on regulations that have been effective in the U.K., intends to outlaw the availability of nicotine pouches and cigarettes from vending machines in addition to targeting their sale, News.co.au reported.

The new age limitations come with harsh penalties, with repeat violators facing fines of up to $40,000. This bold law might change public health practices in the area and highlight a rising global campaign to discourage teenage smoking.

The U.K.'s recent prohibition on the sale of cigarettes to anybody under the age of fifteen served as inspiration for Independent MP Frank Pangallo, who will present the bill to the South Australian parliament.

Pangallo thinks that by focusing on youth protection and the promotion of public health, these efforts will render smoking in the state obsolete.

"It has one purpose – to radically reduce the harms that smoking tobacco and other smoking products have been proven to cause," he said. "It gives us the opportunity to arrest the enormous and burgeoning cost that smoking imposes on our health, social, economic and financial wellbeing and our overall quality of life and productivity in South Australia."

"South Australia is poised to introduce radical new laws that ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to those born on or after January 1, 2009," Pangallo told 9 News. "We'll also outlaw vending machines to prevent tobacco sales from occurring in vending machines."

If the proposed legislation is approved, it will essentially create a rolling age restriction, protecting future generations from the negative effects of tobacco usage.

A proactive approach to combating smoking is reflected in South Australia's legislative history, which is continuously working to strengthen tobacco legislation. Recent changes made in 2024 bring the state's prohibition on smoking and vaping to several public outdoor settings, greatly increasing the number of smoke-free zones.