If there was any question that a new Bulli convenience store appeals to children, you only have to look at the pointing fingers and turned faces of the preschoolers walking past its doors last Monday afternoon.
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With big signs advertising "American candy" and "tobacco products", Coast Convenience opened across the road from Bulli Public School at the beginning of the term.
While it's far from the only shop of its kind to open near a school, it has sparked concern among parents, who say their kids are being enticed by the lollies and then presented with tobacco-related products once they step inside.
Amber Joyce, who has children in year two and four at the school, said many primary school children walked and rode the bikes past the shop every day.
"On the outside in big letters it's printed that it sells American candy, tobacco products, incense, cold drinks and gifts," she said.
"When you go past, there's candy right in the doorway, so as they walk past the front door all the kids see is candy, but when you step inside it is just smoking paraphernalia all around the outside, lighters, ashtrays, all that kind of jazz."
She said she was concerned about the message the store was sending to kids.
"When I go into Woolworths, everything's behind closed cupboards, there's no signage that says that there's cigarettes for sale, and sporting teams are not allowed to sponsor cigarette companies anymore," she said."
"We've got this giant sign opposite our school that says tobacco products. I don't understand how a business like this could pop up opposite a school."
An employee in the store, who would not be named and said he did not know or have contact details for the owner when the Mercury visited, said the store sold cigarettes - which are stored behind closed, unbranded doors like at the supermarket - as well as lighters, cleaners and other tobacco and hemp-leaf decorated accessories.
He said there were no vapes - which are now illegal to sell outside of a pharmacy with a prescription - or other products like nicotine pouches for sale.
Ms Joyce said she was concerned about the rising use of these sorts of products among children, and worried that their exposure to other tobacco-related products in a lolly shop were a gateway to their use.
She also worried about the blurring of the lines between lollies and nicotine products.
"My concern is we obviously know how dangerous smoking is and we've spent 50 years legislating and pushing cigarettes out of sight for kids but it just feels like council, the government are just not fast enough on sweeping other things under the same legislation," she said.
"I used to work in advertising and there used to be this ad that we showed where the doctors in the fifties used to say the only cigarettes to smoke while pregnant are camels. That was clearly ridiculous, but we're at this point again where we're letting things be cool when we know that there's serious health effects.
"Just because the law hasn't caught up doesn't mean that it's right, and something needs to be done about it particularly for the vulnerable young kids in our community, who don't know any better."
Parents at Bulli Public School raised their concerns about the store at the annual general meeting of the P&C, and have written to Wollongong council and local politicians about it.
'Taking on Big Tobacco so they can't succeed in getting a new generation addicted'
Health Minister Mark Butler is aware of the number of shops selling vapes and nicotine products that are setting up near schools and says the government plans to act to shut them down.
"Nine out of 10 vape stores around Australia are located within walking distance of schools ... their target market are school children and very young Australians," he said in February.
He said the government would introduce legislation to do this, but needed the support of the opposition.
"We're aiming to have this enforced on the first of July, but that of course is subject to the passage of the legislation through Parliament," he said.
In an opinion piece he wrote in February, Mr Butler raised concerns that Big Tobacco was targeting kids with new products.
"We need to make sure that when our kids start the new school year, they don't pick up vaping alongside new friends and new experiences," he said.
"Vapes have morphed very quickly to become a widespread, highly addictive product, and one being deliberately marketed at our kids.
"You've probably seen the vapes I'm talking about - brightly coloured with rainbows or unicorns on them, and with flavours like bubblegum, grape or cherry.
"Vape shops are deliberately setting up down the road from schools - it's an industry targeting their product to kids.
"We are taking on Big Tobacco so they can't succeed in getting a new generation addicted to nicotine.
"The truth is the only groups who want to regulate and sell vaping products are those who profit from kids getting hooked on nicotine - Big Tobacco and tobacco retailers."
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
