Latest news with #Ruston
Sky News AU
16-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Government's vape scheme pushes young Aussies to turn to black market sellers
Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston has discussed the poor results of the Albanese government's vape scheme. It has been revealed that less than 0.1 per cent of vapes are being sold legally through pharmacies. 'Quite clearly, the policy the government's put in place is not working,' Mr Ruston told Sky News Australia.
Sky News AU
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘The real tragedy': Shadow health minister Anne Ruston says youth pushed to crime networks for vapes under Labor
The opposition has accused the Albanese government of driving young people into the arms of organised crime after new data revealed less than one per cent of vapes are purchased legally. Documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph revealed on Monday that one in every 1,686 vape sales occur legally through a pharmacy—about 0.06 per cent. Organised crime syndicates have been importing vapes, of which more than 10 million are sold nationally every month on the black market. Shadow health minister Anne Ruston told Sky News that the government's restrictive model of only allowing vape sales in pharmacies created the booming black market. 'We told the government when they put this policy forward that it wasn't going to work,' Ms Ruston said on Monday. 'The government knew right from the get-go that the prescription-only model wasn't working. 'The real tragedy of all this is the fact that young Australians particularly (are being) forced into the hands of organised crime to access vapes. 'Organised crime is benefiting from the failure of this government's policy.' Figures obtained via Freedom of Information showed an average of 5,932 vapes were sold legally, compared to more than 10 million sold illegally every month. Asked what the opposition's approach to vape regulation would be, Ms Ruston admitted it did not yet have one. 'We've made it very clear that all policies that we took to the election that we are intending to look at and make sure that they are fit for purpose,' she said. Nationals leader David Littleproud, who conceded that he had previously supported a prescription-only model, called for a 'regulated' model of vape sales. 'I admit that I got it wrong … on a prohibition model around prescriptions for vaping,' Mr Littleproud told Sky News on Monday. 'We've got to get to a regulated model. Look what's worked—what worked with tobacco back in the 90s was a regulated model." Mr Littleproud said by regulating and taxing vape products, the government could reinvest some of that money into treating health issues caused by smoking. The government's vaping reforms—championed by Health Minister Mark Butler—were intended to reduce youth uptake and ensure access for adults trying to quit smoking.
Sky News AU
10-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Liberal Senator Anne Ruston suggests Chris Bowen should 'have been fired years ago' in scathing takedown of Energy Minister
Liberal Senator Anne Ruston has issued a scathing assessment of Labor's policies under Chris Bowen, declaring the Energy Minister "would have been fired years ago" if he had been working for a private business. Following its emphatic victory in the May federal election, Labor has doubled down on its controversial renewables-led push to achieve net zero emissions. Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suggested his party's victory demonstrated a clear mandate for the plan, despite ongoing community concerns surrounding several high profile projects. Mr Bowen, too, has doubled down on the push, insisting renewables remain the "cleanest and cheapest" way to power the national grid. However, Senator Ruston was quick to push back against the claims, accusing both men of "completely destroying the very thing that underpins our economy". "The Prime Minister just seems to be completely blind to any other solution, whatever that might be, so that Australians can have a reliable and affordable power," she told Sky News following Mr Albanese's address. "All he seems to caring about is his pursuit of this ideological sort of renewable energy future that he's proving not to be deliverable. "The government constantly is providing subsidies and handouts and the like of taxpayers' money to fix up a problem that is of their own making. "Our power bills were supposed to have gone down by this year. Clearly, the complete opposite's happened with increases of over $1,000." Senator Ruston then singled out Mr Bowen for particular criticism, as she questioned why Labor continued to stand by what she described as a "failed policy pursuit". "If Chris Bowen was an executive in any sensible company around Australia he would have been fired years ago and yet he still stays in this job completely destroying the very thing that underpins our economy and that's affordable and reliable energy," she said. The Senator's takedown of the government's energy plans comes as the Coalition continues to struggle internally over its own stance on net zero. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce and Senator Matt Canavan have been amongst a handful of high-profile members pushing for the opposition to scrap their commitment to the emissions reduction target. However, others within the Liberal Party have warned the Coalition risks losing even more support in urban areas if it abandons the pledge, with Labor and Teal independents both positioning themselves as strong on the environment. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has said the Coalition would review its stance on the issue and Senator Ruston was similarly coy when she addressed the party's stance. "We're taking a very considered approach to making sure that the Coalition's energy policy going to the next election is one that will deliver reliable and affordable power, at the same time as making sure emissions reduction is part of the mix," she said.
West Australian
18-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Abortion a matter for states, territories: Liberal senator Anne Ruston
A senior Liberal senator has not confirmed if the Coalition's position on abortion could change, as the opposition rethinks its national platform in the wake of its election decimation. Labor's landslide win on May 3 left the Liberals leaderless and exposed severe tensions within the Coalition, with the Nationals faring far better than their blue colleagues and therefore demanding more power. The Liberal and National party leaders have been hashing out a Coalition agreement, which includes a review of policies. Anne Ruston — who was opposition health spokeswoman under Peter Dutton — on Sunday kept tight-lipped about whether abortion was up for debate after a push from some in her party. 'As far as I'm concerned, the issue of abortion is something that's well and truly in the domain of the states and territories and should stay there,' Senator Ruston told the ABC. 'But my understanding is that there is no proposal to make any changes in relation to the small amount of responsibility that the federal parliament has for this.' Nationals senator Matt Canavan and Liberals senator Alex Antic co-sponsored a bill last year that aimed to force doctors to save a child born alive after an abortion. A parliamentary inquiry found no basis for the bill and Mr Dutton had ordered the Coalition senators to withdraw it — an order they refused. The bill would be an unprecedented use of federal powers on the issue. Abortion access is legal in all states and territories, but it is not federally or constitutionally protected. Senior Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has described abortion as a 'moral dilemma', while Jacinta Nampijinpa Price — whose shock defection to the Liberal party room added greatly to the Coalition's internal tensions — tried to put abortion on the national agenda after a vote to wind back access narrowly failed in South Australia last year. It also popped up in the Queensland state election. Senator Ruston played down commentary the Liberal Party has shifted too far to the right, saying her party was a 'broad church'. 'That's where we work best, when we're tolerant of the broad range of views that we have, but our values are all the same,' she said. 'I don't think anybody in my party doesn't believe that aspiration is the most important thing we should strive to be able to enable every Australian to be able to achieve.' Senator Ruston added she was 'very happy to be re-elected and looking forward to being part of the broader team nationally to rebuild our party in the interests of a party that reflects modern Australia'.
Perth Now
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Liberal's big call on ‘domain' of abortion
A senior Liberal senator has not confirmed if the Coalition's position on abortion could change, as the opposition rethinks its national platform in the wake of its election decimation. Labor's landslide win on May 3 left the Liberals leaderless and exposed severe tensions within the Coalition, with the Nationals faring far better than their blue colleagues and therefore demanding more power. The Liberal and National party leaders have been hashing out a Coalition agreement, which includes a review of policies. Anne Ruston — who was opposition health spokeswoman under Peter Dutton — on Sunday kept tight-lipped about whether abortion was up for debate after a push from some in her party. Liberal senator Anne Ruston has not confirmed if the Coalition's position on abortion access is up for debate. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'As far as I'm concerned, the issue of abortion is something that's well and truly in the domain of the states and territories and should stay there,' Senator Ruston told the ABC. 'But my understanding is that there is no proposal to make any changes in relation to the small amount of responsibility that the federal parliament has for this.' Nationals senator Matt Canavan and Liberals senator Alex Antic co-sponsored a bill last year that aimed to force doctors to save a child born alive after an abortion. A parliamentary inquiry found no basis for the bill and Mr Dutton had ordered the Coalition senators to withdraw it — an order they refused. The bill would be an unprecedented use of federal powers on the issue. Abortion access is legal in all states and territories, but it is not federally or constitutionally protected. Ousted opposition leader Peter Dutton ordered Coalition senators to withdraw an abortion Bill. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Senior Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie has described abortion as a 'moral dilemma', while Jacinta Nampijinpa Price — whose shock defection to the Liberal party room added greatly to the Coalition's internal tensions — tried to put abortion on the national agenda after a vote to wind back access narrowly failed in South Australia last year. It also popped up in the Queensland state election. Senator Ruston played down commentary the Liberal Party has shifted too far to the right, saying her party was a 'broad church'. 'That's where we work best, when we're tolerant of the broad range of views that we have, but our values are all the same,' she said. 'I don't think anybody in my party doesn't believe that aspiration is the most important thing we should strive to be able to enable every Australian to be able to achieve.' Senator Ruston added she was 'very happy to be re-elected and looking forward to being part of the broader team nationally to rebuild our party in the interests of a party that reflects modern Australia'.
