Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Illicit Tobacco Enforcement Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2026

Mr CALDWELL (Fadden—Opposition Chief Whip) (19:24): I have to agree with you, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander. That was a thoroughly enjoyable and persuasive performance by the member for Goldstein, the shadow treasurer. Even in your fair medical mind, I think there would have been a few points made there that were very worthy of consideration, so I'll ask you to just turn your mind to those over time before the vote is taken on this.

You know, it's never too late for turning someone of your status within the Labor Party, so I look forward to seeing what side of the chamber you move to. We are supporting this bill, the Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Illicit Tobacco Enforcement Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2026, and I'll tell you why we're supporting it. It is because this Labor government needs as much help as it can get.

They are so in over their heads with all of this governing stuff that they've got to do while they're sitting on that side that they actually have lost the ability to do it competently. So, when they come to us and they say, 'Look, we've got an incremental bit of something that we think might help,' we will help, because, by God, they need it. What we've seen in the illicit tobacco market at the hands of this Labor government is an absolute explosion in the business model of gangs of illegal operators, and in the end it's all Australians who are paying.

The Treasurer delivered a budget on 12 May this year, and one of the hallmarks of that particular budget was higher taxes. Since that budget was delivered, we have made the point time and time again that, when you tax something—like housing—more, you will get less of it. Deputy Speaker, I understand your point medically.

It is that we want to try and put in barriers to the consumption of smoking. I get it; I really do. But the problem is this: the tobacco excise has now reached a point where, as I said, the tax is so high that you are getting less of it.

The problem is that the 'less of it' is not the purchase of legal cigarettes and not the smoking. What it's doing now is pushing people into an illegal marketplace. So, yes, it's giving the outcome of 'less of' something, but what it is 'less of' is legality.

As the member for Goldstein rightly pointed out, every single smoker who goes in and buys a pack of cigarettes from an illegal operator is not in any way, shape or form contributing to the taxation base of this country. They are also absolutely missing out on the health messaging that they are supposed to be getting, because, as the member for Goldstein said, when they go and order these illegal tobacco products through Uber, through some pop-up shop, over some random counter or whatever the case may be, they are not getting the taxed, properly packaged, properly warned, controlled content product that they would prefer to consume by choice and that the government wants them to consume.

That's not what's happening. Instead, we have got not just a bin fire but a bonfire of all sorts of illegal activity going on across the country. Where has this been particularly noticeable?

I come from Queensland, where we've got a very competent LNP government led by Premier David Crisafulli. They have been working their guts out to hold these illegal operators at bay. They can do some work to stop shopfront operators, and that has worked.

But you see that where this disaster really takes off is in the state of Victoria. You see this double Labor thing going on. The business model is being provided by the federal Labor government and the absolute lack of attention on the ground is being provided by the state Labor government.

That is providing the environment for all of these illegal gangs to operate without any checks and balances. What do we see on a daily basis on the news all across the country? Firebombing after firebombing after firebombing.

We don't know what the hell is going on because these guys are running their own racket. They're trying to protect their own market. They're trying to put the legal operators out of business.

They're trying to scare other operators into not going into business. This is actually the most extraordinary set of circumstances that have arisen. Debate interrupted.