Combatting Illicit Tobacco

“But this bill is a necessary step. It increases the penalties, improves investigative powers, strengthens the proceeds-of-crime laws, supports a more joined-up Commonwealth response and sends a clear message that the Commonwealth is not only concerned with packets being sold at the counter but is also concerned with the networks, the money and the structures behind the illicit trade, and that is the right approach. People in Moore are entitled to expect better, and I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 14 May 2026

“Smoking still kills, on average, 66 Australians every day and accounts for 20 per cent of the nation's cancer diagnoses. Two out of three long-term smokers will die of a tobacco related illness. This bill represents a measured, targeted and proportionate response to a growing national problem. It strengthens penalties, improves investigative powers, enhances proceeds-of-crime mechanisms and reinforces cooperation between governments and law enforcement agencies. Most importantly, it sends a very clear message that illicit tobacco crime will be treated with the seriousness it deserves.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“It is going to have to be complemented by reforms at state levels, reflecting those in South Australia and Queensland that deal with leases and things on the ground. This is part of the solution but not the entire solution. I think it is important that we all acknowledge that this isn't a package that will get the job done by itself, but it is an important piece of the puzzle. It would be a great shame if anyone in this chamber voted against it simply because it is not a package that gets the whole job done itself.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“I rise to speak in support of the Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026. This legislation responds to a problem that has changed rapidly in recent years. Illicit tobacco is no longer a problem on the edge of the economy; it has become tied to organised criminal activity, community safety concerns and growing risks to public health. Across the country, illegal tobacco products are being sold through unregulated networks with no oversight, no safety guards, no safety standards and no accountability for what these products actually contain. At the same time, criminal groups are making billions of dollars from the trade and using those profits to fund other serious criminal activities.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“This bill is a necessary, proportionate, evidence-based response to a rapidly growing organised crime threat. It strengthens penalties. It expands law enforcement powers. It ensures that the proceeds of crime regime can be used to seize the profits that drive this trade. It builds on our government's strong record of action: record funding for the Australian Border Force, the appointment of the first Illicit Tobacco and E-Cigarette Commissioner and unprecedented cooperation across jurisdictions. It sends a clear message to organised crime that the days of low risk and high reward are over. This parliament has a responsibility to protect communities, to uphold public safety and to ensure criminal syndicates cannot profit from harm. That's exactly what this bill delivers.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“I rise to speak in support of the Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026. There are two key purposes at the heart of this bill. Firstly, it seeks to reframe the risk-to-reward calculation for organised criminal actors by increasing penalties for offences to ensure they are commensurate with the harms caused by the illicit tobacco trade and, secondly, seeks to make the Proceeds of Crime regime more effective to pursue the confiscation of the proceeds, instruments and benefits of crime to undermine the profitability of the illicit tobacco market, which is the main motivation of organised crime.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 04 June 2026

“Ultimately, this legislation is about protecting Australian communities. It is about protecting public health. It is about supporting legitimate businesses. And it is about ensuring organised crime groups do not continue profiting at the expense of community safety and wellbeing. The people of Pearce expect strong action against organised crime and stronger protections for local communities. This bill delivers important reforms to support that goal. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“I rise today in support of the original, unamended Combating Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026. In recent months, my office has heard from a growing number of people across Newcastle who are deeply concerned about the rise of illicit tobacco in our community. These are not abstract concerns. They're coming from local shop owners who are doing the right thing and struggling to compete with illegal operators. They're coming from families worried about the normalisation of cheap, unregulated cigarettes and they're coming from residents concerned about the organised crime that, too often, sits behind this black market. To those people who have taken the time to write or to call about this issue: I hear you, and this bill responds directly to your concerns.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“For Bass, this is not theoretical. It's on our streets. It's in our suburbs. It's affecting our small businesses. It's threatening public health. It's helping organised crime profit from addiction. This bill stands up to that. It protects public health, it backs legitimate businesses and it strengthens enforcement. It upholds the rule of law, and it says that Australia will not surrender decades of tobacco control success to criminal syndicates. I commend this bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“The government's objective is clear: shut down illegal shops, choke off criminal money and make illicit tobacco unprofitable. This bill advances that objective through higher penalties, through stronger proceeds of crime powers and through enhanced investigative capabilities. Together, these measures rebalance the risk-reward equation that fuels the trade in illicit tobacco. I commend this bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“This bill addresses the crisis by fundamentally changing the business model of illicit tobacco through two key objectives. First, we are rebalancing the risk-to-reward calculation. For too long, the penalties for dealing in illicit tobacco were seen by criminals as a mere cost of doing business—quite affordable. If the fine is $50,000 but the profit is $500,000, the criminal will pay the fine with a smile. This bill ends that. We are raising offence penalties to match the actual severity of the harm caused, ensuring that the punishment is a genuine deterrent and not a line item in a ledger. Second, we are attacking the profit motive. By making the proceeds-of-crime regime more effective, we are going after the one thing that criminals care about: their money. We are expanding law enforcement powers to investigate and ensure that the consequences for criminal actors are swift, severe and financially ruinous.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 14 May 2026

“The Commonwealth funding to states and territories is now flowing, with $84 million extra to help put trained people on the ground, improve licensing and enable joint operations. AUSTRAC is working with the banks and service providers to shut down the money flows that keep illicit tobacco profitable. Hundreds of accounts have already been closed and payment systems stopped. This bill expands law enforcement powers to investigate illicit tobacco related offending and increases the consequences for criminal actors involved in the illicit tobacco market. It's a crucial step in addressing the rapidly expanding illicit market.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“By increasing the consequences for those dealing in the marketplace of illicit tobacco, we are further strengthening our ability to thwart the harms placed on our citizens, our shop owners, our businesses and our communities. Together, the reforms in this bill are aimed and will protect public health, support legitimate businesses and disrupt the organised crime networks that profit from the illicit tobacco trade. Our coordinated national response further ensures Australia remains safer, healthier and fairer for future generations to come. I commend this bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“I know that people in my community of Dickson are concerned about the proliferation of tobacco stores selling illicit tobacco and vapes. I too am concerned. Please know this government is doing everything it can with the states and territories to shut down the illicit tobacco and e-cigarette trade. This bill will disrupt and dismantle criminal syndicates, with tougher penalties and greater powers to detect and seize illicit tobacco and vaping products. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“It would be a real shame if this bill was not supported by every member of parliament, because, as I said, it's not about ideology. It's not about politics. It is about shutting down illegal businesses, shutting down organised crime and ensuring that the number of people addicted to tobacco does not go up. That is our No. 1 priority here. That's why this government is focused and clear. These so-called tobacco wars are not just about illegal cigarettes; they're about human people and human lives. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“I want to start by saying that we support this legislation and the spirit in which it's achieved, but I also want to reflect on just how inadequate it truly is. Let's look at the reality. Under this government, there has been a thriving illicit tobacco market that has fed organised crime across Australia, and nowhere has it been more acute than in my home state of Victoria. Frankly, it's an absolute national disgrace that this crisis has allowed itself to get to this point. We have seen Australian small businesses firebombed by criminal gangs as part of a turf war over an illicit product, and this didn't come out of nowhere.”

Liberal Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“To the government: get on with your job and show some real leadership. The coalition will support this bill, but it is too little too late and does not deal with the real issues at hand.”

Liberal Party • MP • 14 May 2026

“Whilst stronger enforcement and the sorts of measures that are featured in this bill—including the increased appropriations to our enforcement agencies—are welcome, they're not going to fix the problem. That's where we need to be honest with the Australian people. They can see it happening around them every day. In my community, there have been a number of raids. Indeed, I met with the south-west police recently to discuss that. They have to admit that their resources are stretched. They are still trying to deal with all of the normal sorts of enforcement that, rightly, only the police can do. WA is a long way from Canberra, and so the AFP are also stretched in their resourcing presence in Western Australia, naturally focusing on Perth. My electorate is a couple of hours south of Perth, and the problems we've had with illegal tobacco have gone right down to the bottom of my electorate, in Margaret River, and further south to Augusta. So you're talking about dragging police away from the very serious sorts of enforcement they need to be doing. They should be getting after murder and violent crime. They should be chasing down child exploitation. They should be monitoring our road safety. They should be doing all of these things. The police have readily admitted to me that a focus on tobacco enforcement is not included in their workload—and I understand why. It's simply outside the scope of their normal responsibilities.”

Liberal Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“Like so many government bills, it has an impressive-sounding name—Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill. Of course we want to combat illicit tobacco. The coalition are supporting this bill because something is better than nothing, but let's be up-front here. This is partial. It's inadequate. It is not going to make a significant difference to the illicit-tobacco crime crisis that we face. In fact, astonishingly, in the explanatory memorandum, the government's own words confirm that this is a wet lettuce. They say:”

Liberal Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“For these reasons, the coalition will support the bill. Supporting the bill, however, does not mean ignoring its shortcomings. The reality is that much of this legislation focuses on increasing penalties on paper. The government talks big about stronger penalties, it talks big about longer prison terms, it talks big about larger fines, but penalties only matter if criminals believe that they will actually be caught. The central challenge is not simply the size of the penalty; the central challenge is enforcement. Courts already have significant penalties available to them, yet criminal organisations continue to operate because they do not fear being caught. That is why stronger enforcement must sit alongside stronger penalties. Without meaningful disruption, criminal organisations will simply adapt, and they will continue to operate.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“However, the coalition will support the bill, because we believe some tools are better than none, but this government must implement a far more comprehensive strategy to restore the rule of law. A serious response to the crisis must move beyond paper penalties and focus on actual disruption, confiscation and closure. This government should coordinate with the states to introduce immediate nationwide store closures and lease termination provisions. If a business is caught selling illicit tobacco, authorities must have the power to padlock the doors, cut the utilities and cancel the commercial lease immediately. This government must make it physically and financially impossible for these illicit shopfronts to operate.”

Liberal National Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this bill. While I'll support the bill, I ask the government to please understand that the challenges that we are facing are far more significant than what this bill tries to address. Unless we have the courage to look that in the eye, face up to it and legislate for it, we'll be back here again, unfortunately, with even more perverse outcomes.”

National Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“I rise to speak on the Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026. This bill is before the House because Australia is no longer dealing with a small compliance problem. Under Labor we are dealing with a black-market crisis, a public health crisis, a law and order crisis and a crisis of confidence in government policy. This did not happen by accident. It is not something Australia can blame on events overseas. It is homegrown, and responsibility sits firmly with Labor. The bill increases penalties, expands investigative powers, allows telecommunications interception in illicit tobacco investigations and strengthens unexplained-wealth, search warrant and proceeds-of-crime powers. Those are serious tools and they are needed, but let us be honest about why we are here.”

National Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“I support strong enforcement against organised crime. I support stronger penalties for criminal syndicates. I support targeting the money that fuels these operations. And I support giving law enforcement the tools they need to dismantle criminal networks, because if criminals lose the profits they lose the incentive. I will support the passage of the bill because any improvement is better than none, but it is not at all sufficient. Labor has lost control of illicit tobacco, and this bill does not provide the comprehensive solution that is now required.”

National Party • MP • 22 June 2026

“The coalition will support the passage of the Combating Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026, and we will do so on the basis that it might assist law enforcement agencies and courts in dealing with the very serious problem of illicit tobacco. However, let's also be very clear: this bill is a minor and belated response to a crisis that has exploded under the Albanese government. Across Australia, illicit tobacco is at the core of what has become a multibillion-dollar black market. It is directly tied to organised crime, violence, intimidation and highly dangerous criminal activity. Its distribution has become a major criminal enterprise throughout the nation. Illegal tobacco stores are growing across Australia. Firebombings and violent attacks linked to organised criminal syndicates have become alarmingly common, and legitimate retailers are being undercut. Communities are being increasingly exposed to shocking criminal activity in this field, and, in short, the response of the Albanese government, after creating this very crisis in the first place, has been hopelessly insufficient.”

Liberal Party • MP • 14 May 2026

“When it comes to law enforcement, the easiest way to do this—this is something I've been pushing for; I made speeches on it when in government—is for the states to have a penalty notice regime. The Commonwealth powers—the legislation changes and the stronger penalties—are fantastic, but the state and territory police are not going to use them. Even the surveillance powers and search warrants—again, the Australian Border Force can't use these powers. I say to the government: you need to give the Australian Border Force the surveillance powers, the telephone intercept powers, because they have to call on the Australian Federal Police when they're with these operations, with the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce. If members are seconded there and the ones who aren't have another operation—it could be a paedophile ring or major drug trafficking—that's always going to get priority. We need the Australian Border Force to get that priority.”

Liberal Party • MP • 14 May 2026

“I rise to support the Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026. Smoking still kills about 66 Australians every day. After decades of hard work, daily smoking rates halved between 2001 and 2022 from 22 per cent to 11 per cent. Australia was a genuine world leader in tobacco control. The illicit market now threatens to undo much of that progress, fuelling organised crime and hooking a new generation. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, the combined rate of smoking and vaping has climbed back to 28 per cent, higher than it was a decade ago, and that's a trend that should alarm every member of this House. The illicit tobacco market is now estimated to be larger than the combined Australian illicit market for cannabis, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy. So the case for stronger enforcement is clear.”

Independent • MP • 22 June 2026