The Australian government is pushing ahead with a plan to ban nearly all imports of e-cigarettes into the country from 1 July, Mail on Sunday reported.

From 1 July, it will be illegal to import e-cigarettes and refills containing nicotine liquids or salts. "The Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, requested the Department of Health to work with the Australian Border Force on a new approach to regulating e-cigarettes containing vaporiser nicotine," the government's Office of Drug Control said in a statement.
Currently all states and territories prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes. So people are forced to import them and the refills. The only way around the new ban will be if a doctor prescribes e-cigarettes and nicotine, the report said.
Vaporisers and refills containing nicotine would have to be imported by doctors or medical suppliers via a courier or cargo service with express permission from the Department of Health. The ban on importing nicotine e-cigarettes and refills would be in line with existing bans on their sale in each state and territory, the report said.
The planned Australian ban will remain in place for 12 months to allow for public consultation on the regulation of nicotine products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). A decision by the TGA is expected in early 2021.