A crackdown is coming on Australians who illegally import nicotine vaping products online, in a move set to reignite debate over whether e-cigarettes are helpful for smokers who need help to quit.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal federal health minister Greg Hunt has directed the Therapeutic Goods Administration to work with the Department of Home Affairs to consider a new approach to policing and regulating e-cigarettes.

The Morrison government is about to launch a major crackdown on vaping. Credit:iStockphoto

Despite laws prohibiting the importation of nicotine vape liquids - except under a little-used scheme that requires a prescription - there has until now been little obstacle to buying it online, with thousands of vapers - including those aged under 18 - importing it without obstruction.

A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the government had "a strict commitment to opposing vaping or any liberalisation on laws" and the supply or sale of liquid nicotine "is not legal in any state or territory".