Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027
Ms ALDRED (Monash—Opposition Whip) (19:19): Australia is in the grip of an illegal tobacco crisis. The problem of illicit tobacco has moved well beyond a revenue loss issue and is now being described by Commonwealth agencies as a public health, community safety and organised crime problem. It is putting at risk the lives of everyday Australians who go about their work, business and family lives.
The Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette Commissioner says illicit tobacco and vapes are a serious and growing threat to public health, community safety and the economy, while the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Institute of Criminology have reported that, in the period of 2023 to 2024, illicit tobacco alone cost Australia $4 billion, a fourfold increase over three years.
Since 2023, there have been over 200 firebombings, many in my home state of Victoria, and there is a clear link between the illicit trade and organised crime—even terrorist activities, in some instances. At the same time, enforcement activity has reached record levels without yet reversing the trend. The Australian Border Force reported 23,097 illicit-tobacco detections in the 2024-25 period, seizing nearly 2½ billion cigarette sticks and over 435,000 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco, but also stated plainly: … we can't seize this problem away.
Enforcement at the border … must complement education, health, domestic enforcement and compliance. The policy debate in Australia has shifted from whether illicit tobacco is a problem to what combination of excise, retail regulation, intelligence, law enforcement and public health measures can realistically shrink this illicit market. So my question to the minister is: why, when the government claims to be investing record amounts into investigation and enforcement activities through this portfolio, is the tobacco black market continuing to grow out of control, putting the lives of Australians at risk every day?
The second issue I wish to raise is connected vehicles coming into Australia. All of these relate to electric vehicles, and many new combustion engine cars have the same capabilities. There is a custom-made ship that has just brought thousands of BYD cars to Australia, with communications systems manufactured by Huawei.
The privacy commissioner gave a clear and public warning over a year ago now that Australia's privacy protections for consumers in the area of connected cars were simply not up to scratch. The government is years behind other countries, particularly our security partners, in stepping up to protect consumer privacy, especially where a known risk of the misuse of biometric information like voice recognition and health data is domestic-violence-offending.
I note that the US trade commission has already announced action against the selling of data, including geolocation information, to third parties without the knowledge or consent of consumers. The fact that the former US Biden administration is still years ahead of where the Albanese government is on recognising the risks and setting an appropriate regulatory regime is a matter of concern.
The Australian Signals Directorate has an advice book urging consumers to note the risks of information collected in connected vehicles via text messages and the like. I think it would be prudent for politicians to take that advice. Smart vehicles are equipped with hundreds or even thousands of sensors that collect real-time information on vehicle status, road conditions, passenger behaviours, geolocation, voice recordings and facial imprints.
I note that, in 2024, in a Senate estimates hearing, department officials confirmed that they were still working on connected-vehicle privacy settings. I'd also reiterate the Australian privacy commissioner's warnings in this regard. I have serious concerns about the misuse of connected vehicles in domestic-violence perpetration and the breaching of consumer data and privacy, so my question to the minister is: after years of public warnings from national security advisers about concerns around privacy and consumer data, why does the Australian government not have a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework to protect Australia and Australians against these known threats?