A Fresh Start for Queensland: New Bill to put clinicians in charge and destroy illegal vapes
- The Crisafulli Government delivers on promise to give local clinicians a stronger voice in managing public hospitals.
- The Crisafulli Government's Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 will require that all Hospital and Health Boards include at least one clinician who works for the local Hospital and Health Service.
- Bill also allows the seizure and destruction of illegal vapes sooner.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering on its election promise and introduced a new bill to Parliament that will put clinicians on hospital and health boards, and fast-track the destruction of illegal vapes.
The Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 will require all 16 of Queensland's boards to include at least one registered health practitioner who works for the local Hospital and Health Service.
The commitment to give frontline staff a voice in how their local health services are run is a key part of the Crisafulli Government's plan to diagnose, treat and cure Labor's Health Crisis.
Unlike Labor, who refused to listen and resource frontline health staff, the Crisafulli Government is using its Easier Access to Health Services plan to empower clinicians and improve health outcomes for all Queenslanders.
Once the Health Legislation Amendment Bill is passed, the requirement to have local clinicians on Hospital and Health Boards will take effect on 1 April 2026, aligning with the next round of board member recruitments.
The Bill will also fast-track the destruction of illegal vapes and force offenders to pay back costs associated with enforcement and prosecution.
The Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 includes changes to the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act 1998 (TOSPA) to ensure that seized illegal vapes can be quickly destroyed and do not have to be stored for extended periods at the expense of the Queensland taxpayers.
Courts will be empowered to order those convicted of offences under the Act to pay enforcement, investigation and prosecution costs.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said giving frontline clinicians a bigger say in how public health care delivered an important change in improving health outcomes for Queenslanders.
"It just makes sense to include local clinicians on the boards that govern the hospitals and health services in their local communities," Minister Nicholls said.
"They make critical decisions daily about how health care is delivered, how the workforce is mobilised, and how issues are managed. They have the expertise, experience and insights to provide valuable input into how the broader health service runs.
"We promised to do this before the election and now we're delivering on this commitment.
"Unlike the former Labor government, we are also focused to stamping out the rise of illegal vaping and tobacco products which has become a critical health issue in Queensland.
"Our government is taking decisive action and increased enforcement efforts, with more than 74,000 vapes seized in the last two months alone, compared with fewer than 22,000 during the last two months of Labor's watch in September and October.
"However, under current legislation, the forfeiture of these illicit vapes is subject to a show cause process that takes at least eight weeks. "This is an expensive and time-consuming exercise so we're slashing needless red tape so illicit vapes can be immediately forfeited and rapidly destroyed by enforcement authorities.
"The new Bill also contains new powers for courts to order convicted people to reimburse costs incurred by Queensland Health for dealing with these products, and for investigating and prosecuting offences.
"Hitting the hip pockets of offenders will serve as yet another deterrent and help prevent illicit tobacco and vaping products from reaching the hands of kids and teenagers."
