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As the number of young vaping users continues to grow, it would be more surprising if the influencers hired for the government’s anti-vaping campaign had never used one before, the Health Minister said.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Mark Butler revealed the government would spend $250,000 partnering with Spotify, social media influencers and sports stars as part of its anti-vaping programme.
But shortly after the announcement, old photos emerged that appeared to show one of the associate ambassadors holding a vaporizer.
Jaxon Fairbairn, a member of the Australian comedy duo Fairbairn Films, posted the photo to his Instagram in June, according to The Australian, although it appears to have been deleted.
When asked if these images weakened his administration’s messages, Butler said they fit with the campaign’s mission.
“We’ve hired 10 or 12 social media influencers and, just using the percentages, I would be surprised if some of them haven’t vaped in the past,” he told ABC radio.
Jaxon Fairbairn, an influencer recruited by the government to address vaping, previously posted photos of himself with a vape.
‘I’m not at all concerned about the fact that one of the young people we partner with… has vaped in the past and learned from it.
“I think it’s a very solid foundation to be able to go out and spread messages in a credible way.”
The Minister of Health also rejected what he considered a “build-up.”
“He had vaped in the past, he’s been clear about it and now he’s not a vaper,” Butler said.
“I think this attack by the mainstream media on this young man is really quite strange.”
As part of Wednesday’s announcement, Fairbairn’s brother Lachlan said it was important to “support a campaign that educates people about the harms of vaping and helps them seek support if they wish.”
Cricketer Ellyse Perry, player JackBuzza, jumper Sam Fricker and surfers Zahlia and Shyla Short are among others who have associated themselves with the government.
The Health Minister is expected to introduce another tranche of anti-vaping legislation in the coming weeks in a bid to ban the sale and supply of vaporizers by July.
The government has already banned the import of single-use vaporizers and more restrictions will come into effect from Friday.
Vaporizers and e-cigarettes have become a lucrative source of income for organized crime, which then uses the profits to fund other illegal activities such as drug and sex trafficking, Butler said.
The government has already banned the importation of single-use vaporizers and from Friday more restrictions will come into effect, including a ban on all imports of unlicensed vaporizers.
However, retailers continue to target Australian children and young people.
“It’s the wild west out there,” Butler said.
‘These vape shops are opening almost weekly and increasingly in school communities.
“Governments have failed to take strong action before, but now there is a sense of shared will.”