QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (14:51): As the home affairs minister and the health minister, and I and the PM on other occasions, have made really clear the government's priority is to deal with this as an enforcement issue, a compliance issue and a law and order issue. We do understand that the growth in illicit tobacco is a very substantial challenge, and we've responded to that challenge, and we are responding to that challenge with more than $350 million in extra resourcing for the authorities to crack down on this substantial challenge.

I take this opportunity to convey thanks to the agencies involved, particularly the police on the frontlines, for the way that they are responding to our calls to crack down on what's happening here. There have been some very substantial busts in recent times. That's a good thing, but we need to see more of it.

Now, when it comes to the excise— Mr Tehan: A point of order on relevance. The SPEAKER: I'll listen carefully to make sure his answers are being directly relevant. Dr CHALMERS: When it comes to the excise, as the health minister rightly pointed out, the vast bulk of the increase in the excise happened under the former government.

That's just a fact of the matter. In addition to that, we know that a whole bunch of those opposite have called for a higher excise on tobacco. When Senator James Paterson was asked why you wouldn't you cut the excise, he said: 'Because it would be a massive tax cut for big tobacco companies.

I'm not sure it would be a big improvement for public health either.' The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order? Mr Tehan: To relevance. He wasn't asked about the opposition.

He was asked whether he would rule out a decrease in the excise—yes or no. The SPEAKER: Unfortunately, I don't have the powers to direct the answer as the member would require—the member for Wide Bay, who asked the question—with a yes/no answer. I can make sure that he is being directly relevant.

He was reading a quote from the opposition regarding the excise. So if he reads any more quotes, he's going to have to be directly relevant to the question, because it was a narrow question. It wasn't a broad question.

He's got one minute, 26 left. I'll ask him to be directly relevant and I'll keep an eye on him to make sure he is. Dr CHALMERS: I began my answer by pointing out that the government is not focused on that change.

We're focused on increased resources for compliance and enforcement because that is the best way to get at this very substantial law and order challenge that we have in our communities. When it comes to the excise, we have taken the view in the past similar to, for example, Senator Cash in the other place, who was a cabinet minister and said: … increasing the price of cigarettes via taxation is one of the most effective ways of reducing tobacco consumption.

Senator Anne Ruston, Senator Dean Smith, Senator Bridget McKenzie, Senator Jonno Duniam—all of these coalition figures have pointed it out in the past when the coalition was substantially increasing the excise. This government is focused on compliance. We're focused on enforcement.

We're working very closely together to make sure that we make progress against this very substantial problem that we have, in communities right around Australia. And, whenever we consider next steps here, on enforcement and compliance, or in other ways, we will take—unlike those opposite—the advice of the experts and not the advice of the One Nation party. The SPEAKER: The manager is seeking to table a document?

Mr Tehan: I seek leave to table photos of 23 small businesses that have been blown up. The SPEAKER: Leave is not granted. Thank you.

Order! When the House comes to order, we'll hear from the member for Whitlam.