We’re renowned for being the sunburnt country, but Australians will no longer be able to use sunbeds if they want to live up to this reputation.
As of January 1, 2015, sunbeds are banned in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are planning to institute bans from January this year.
Australia is the second nation (behind Brazil) to impose such strict sunbed restrictions, according to health campaigners. Research published in the Nature journal found several European countries and American states ban the use of sunbeds by minors.
In NSW, the ban means it is now illegal to offer UV tanning services for a fee, with fines of up to $44,000 for anyone breaking the law.
Cancer Council Australia welcomed the ban, with advocacy director Paul Grogan telling the AFP: "Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Solariums expose users to extremely high levels of UV (ultraviolet) radiation, greatly increasing their risk of melanoma and other skin cancers."
