STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms PRICE (Durack) (16:37): I am very proud to be part of the only party in Australia to have the courage to develop a proper plan to kill the illicit tobacco market and smash the gangs. Across Australia, including in regional Western Australia, organised crime is hurting law-abiding small businesses. These gangs are making an estimated $4.1 billion to $6.9 billion—yes, billion—off the illicit tobacco markets.

The Labor Party have allowed these gangs to flourish—shame on them—and they are the reason that small businesses are now being frequently targeted with firebombing attempts as well as significant losses in revenue. The coalition has a policy and a plan to end this. Our plan attacks the gangs' profits.

We will cut the tobacco excise by 80 per cent, taking away the huge price advantage that has driven smokers into the black market. We will back a $200 million nationwide law enforcement surge, shutting illegal shops, stopping shipments at the border and following the money. Vapes and nicotine pouches will be legalised for adults, regulated and taxed, replacing the black market with proper regulation.

Importantly, this is not about encouraging smoking. The current settings have already failed our nation's health, with tobacco consumption rising around 30 per cent since the end of 2021, while criminals are now controlling the market.