Australia hints at a ban on cigarette sales as new survey shows the majority of Aussies want them removed from shelves By Daily Mail Australia Published: 06:04 BST, 5 May 2022 | Updated: 06:10 BST, 5 May 2022 Viewcomments Australia could move to ban cigarette sales to certain age groups by 2030, if recommendation's from a the draft national tobacco strategy are given the go ahead. The 2022-2030 smoking strategy proposes to 'consider the feasibility of raising the minimum age of purchase of tobacco products and monitor international developments on this matter'. It also considers banning or further restricting the sale of tobacco products online. It comes as a national survey, conducted by Cancer Council, revealed the majority of Aussies would support a policy that would stop retailers from selling cigarettes. Only 16.1 per cent of surveyed Australians said a ban would be a ‘bad thing’, 50.8 per cent supported the phase-out, while 61.8 per cent said it should happen within the next decade. Within the study, 75.3 per cent of surveyed Australians also supported the idea of stricter licensing regulations for retailers, while 76.3 per cent wanted more sales restrictions in places where children could enter. Director of Quit Victoria Dr Sarah White says she expects fewer retailers to stop stocking cigarettes regardless of the ban. 'I think that the market might just get to a point where the retailers say ‘There’s not enough people buying these products, it’s something I have to lock away, it costs me a lot to keep under my counter, we might just give it away ourselves,' she told 3AW. 'I’ve talked to quite a few retailers who are saying they’re not sure whether they want to stay in the business because it’s not a very profitable business for them.' Late last year, New Zealand banned young people from ever being allowed to buy cigarettes in a rolling scheme that aims to make the entire country smoke-free. People aged 14 and under in 2027 will never be allowed to purchase cigarettes in their lifetime in the Pacific country of five million, under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's radical new laws. 'We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth,' associate health minister Ayesha Verrall. Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility