By PETER DOUGLAS
IF YOU are born after 1 January, 2020, one day it may be against the law to smoke cigarettes.
At least, that’s if a group of health-conscious students manage to make a change.
A group of students from Mater Christi College have participated in the annual YMCA Youth Parliament program, where youth, aged between 16 and 25, draft and debate issues of importance to them.
The group – comprising Sophie Clarke, Sarah Nixon, Elissa Tifere, Hannah Eastwood, Corinne Carlyon and Chloe Vanderschoot – dipped their toes into political life, deciding on a Bill that proposes a smoking ban.
The six-student team said they proposed the Bill because smoking killed more than 14,000 Victorians annually.
Their Bill passed Youth Parliament with overwhelming support and will be presented for consideration to Minister for Youth Affairs, Jenny Mikakos.
Student Sarah Nixon said a smoking ban was a logical option to lower health risks associated with smoking.
“We can’t just suddenly ban everyone from smoking from a certain date,” she said.
“The only logical approach to stop people from smoking is weaning them out.
“We want to phase out smoking to improve the quality of life for future generations of Victorians.”
More than 20 bills introduced at Youth Parliament have gone on to influence state legislation.
