May 2, - The Australian government announced today that it will ban the import of all over-the-counter vaping products, including those that do not contain nicotine, Guardian Australia reported.

The new legislation is being billed as containing the country's most significant tobacco and e-cigarette control measures in a decade.

Today's announcement clarifies last week's announcement on cracking down on illegal e-cigarettes. This time, the government says it will now ban over-the-counter vaping products altogether.

Minimum quality standards for e-cigarettes, which are still legal to buy with a doctor's prescription, will be introduced, including: restrictions on taste and colour, drug-like packaging and limited nicotine concentration and volume, which will be reduced.

According to the Guardian, all single-use e-cigarettes will be banned.

Health Minister Mark Butler told the ABC's Q&A program on Monday night that the tobacco industry was trying to create a new generation of nicotine addicts through e-cigarettes and he was determined to eradicate the public health threat.

It follows an inquiry led by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the medicines regulator, into e-cigarette reform, with submissions from health professionals, public health associations, individual health professionals and university researchers overwhelmingly in favour of tighter border controls.

Many public health experts and agencies have argued to the inquiry that border controls should also be placed on non-nicotine vape products to prevent mislabelling and exploitation of import loopholes. Manufacturers have previously mislabeled products containing nicotine as nicotine-free to circumvent import restrictions, making it easy for children to buy e-cigarettes, often unknowingly inhaling nicotine and becoming addicted.

According to a recent study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, one in six 14 - to 17-year-olds and one in four 18 - to 24-year-olds have vaped, while Butler has previously said the same number are among the two million vape users in Australia.

The government will also work with states and territories to end e-cigarette sales in convenience stores and other retailers.

Prescriptions for nicotine vape products will become more accessible for smokers trying to quit, with stricter standards set around what can be bought at pharmacies so people can be reassured about the content of the products.

Health Minister Mark Butler will expand on the reforms in a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday, where he is expected to say e-cigarettes have become the biggest loophole in Australia's history and announce that next Tuesday's federal budget will include funding for tobacco and e-cigarette reforms, It is the largest sum of money since the introduction of plain packaging for tobacco products.

"E-cigarettes are sold to governments and communities everywhere as a therapeutic product to help long-term smokers quit." According to excerpts from Mr. Butler's speech.

"It was not sold as an entertainment product -- especially not for our children. But this is what it has become: the biggest loophole in Australian history."

The funding includes $63 million for an evidence-based public health information campaign to stop people from starting to smoke and vaping and to encourage more people to quit.

Public health experts have long called for a renewed anti-smoking advertising campaign. $30 million will be invested in support programs to help Australians quit smoking, and smoking and nicotine withdrawal education and training for health practitioners will be enhanced.

Another $140 million will be allocated to programs that address Aboriginal smoking, which will be expanded and expanded to reduce e-cigarette use among First Nations.

"It's a product aimed at our kids, marketed alongside lollipops and chocolate bars." "Butler said.

"Vaping has become the number one behavioural problem in high schools. It is becoming more common in primary schools. In the past 12 months, the Victoria Poison Hotline has received 50 calls from children under the age of four who have become ill from ingesting or using e-cigarettes."

"Just like they did with smoking, Big Tobacco has taken another addictive product, wrapped it in shiny packaging and added flavor to create a new generation of nicotine addicts."

Those who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to start smoking, Butler said, explaining why people under 25 are the only group in the community currently seeing an increase in smoking rates.

"This has to end." "He said.

The chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia, Terry Slevin, described e-cigarettes as a public health disaster. He said the reforms would re-establish Australia as a world leader in tobacco and e-cigarette control.

"The pervasive and aggressive marketing of vaping products, especially to children, is a global scourge," he said.

The convenience store lobby, some harm reduction experts and citizens have been pushing for e-cigarettes to be regulated like cigarettes so the government could collect $300 million in tax revenue - a proposal that Butler and the health department vehemently reject.

"A pathway is and should be in place for smokers who legitimately try to use e-cigarettes to quit. But this should not be at the expense of creating a new generation of nicotine addicts among young people."

He said Butler should be congratulated for responding to the evidence and standing up to a powerful and wealthy industry.

Laura Hunter, co-chief executive of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, said it was encouraging to see the government taking decisive action against harmful industries.

'We also acknowledge that the commitment to stop selling e-cigarettes in the retail Spaces that have sprung up in every city and suburb goes a long way towards normalising vaping culture,' she said.

"While we have yet to review the details of these announcements, the focus is on strong action to support the medical prescribing model, further education on smoking and e-cigarettes and increased smoking cessation support, which are all a breath of fresh air in a cloudy crisis situation. Operators are peddling misinformation at the expense of our health."