QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS

Senator WALKER (South Australia) (15:23): I rise to take note of the opposition question regarding illicit tobacco. We have made a lot of really good progress on our smoking rates, and what we don't want to see is a new generation of Australians hooked on nicotine. As a young Australian, I, myself, am very concerned about the prospect of this happening.

We know that illicit tobacco is a global problem for countries around the world regardless of what their taxation policies are. I'm proud to be a part of a government that has invested $365 million since 2024 to crack down on illegal tobacco before it arrives. After years of backing the tobacco excise, the coalition has panicked because of their polls, thrown away decades of tobacco policy and landed on an 80 per cent tax cut.

If this is their idea of being tough on crime, I'd hate to see them go soft. The states and territories need to implement long-term closure orders and landlord penalties and to resource their compliance teams to shut down shops. There are good examples of states seeing their enforcement powers having a clear impact.

South Australia is one example of this. They've closed more than 320 shops, and the SA government has indicated that the price of illicit tobacco is rising in SA. This changes the risk-reward equation for criminals.

It's important to remember that we've made so much progress to reduce smoking rates to amongst the lowest in the developed world. Smoking rates fell to 5.8 per cent in 2022-23. We've had decades of bipartisan health policy that got us to this point.

Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable disease in Australia and causes 20 per cent of the cancer disease burden in Australia. The coalition sees gangs making billions selling illicit tobacco and somehow thinks the problem is that cigarettes aren't cheap enough. We'd rather put the pressure on the criminals than give the tobacco industry an 80 per cent tax cut.

I don't want to see hospitals full of dying and diseased Australians. I don't want to see the next generation hooked on nicotine. This policy is devoid of modelling and substance.

We should reflect on how many billions of dollars we'd have to reinvest and divert into the health system from other things to deal with the health consequences of rising smoking rates. It's also important to reflect on the work that this government has done in the area of enforcement. The Albanese Labor government created the National Disruption Group, which is led by the Australian Border Force.

It brings together the Commonwealth, the states and the territories to co-ordinate a response to the illicit tobacco trade. The Australian Border Force has seen record levels of seizures at the border. The National Disruption Group has identified over 100 persons of interest associated with illicit tobacco.

It is also important that we remind ourselves that vaping is not a safer alternative to smoking. There are clear links between vaping and cancer. People who vape are up to five times more likely to end up smoking.

The coalition is so desperate to chase One Nation voters that apparently decades of bipartisan public health policy can go right out the window. I'm proud to be part of a government that continues to crack down on tobacco and protects the health of Australians.