QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:00): If I could, with your permission, President, just acknowledge the members of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. We thank you for your service, and we hope the program is proving interesting and not too cynical-making about the political process!

In relation to the tobacco issue, as I have said, first, the government understands very clearly that the illicit trade in cigarettes is putting public health at risk but also that it is an issue about organised crime. It is a serious organised crime crisis, and illicit tobacco is providing, as I said yesterday, a major source of funds for serious and organised crime which are being used to fund other serious harms and crimes.

We recognise a number of things. The first is that the only way for this black market to be stamped out is for the states and the federal government to work together. I note that the states regulate the sale of tobacco.

I would also note that the government has increased our enforcement activity, I'm advised, by some $350 million and tripled the amount of product being intercepted at the borders. This is a serious criminal issue. It is not only an issue of taxation; it is an issue around what organised crime has now done to create this infrastructure.

Work must be done between the Commonwealth and the states and territories to confront it. I appreciate that those opposite have a political point to make. I would make the point that tobacco excise increased in a time when those opposite were in government by more than 215 per cent, and it has increased by a little less than 40 per cent in the time we've been in government.

So just to be— (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Duniam, first supplementary?