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Tag: Australia

  • Queensland Legal Cigarette Sales Surge After Illicit Crackdown

    Queensland Legal Cigarette Sales Surge After Illicit Crackdown

    Legal cigarette sales in Queensland, Australia, rose 55% in the first month after tougher enforcement laws took effect in November and remained 40% to 45% above previous levels for the following six months, according to retailer data provided to Australia’s Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette Commissioner. The increase contrasts with a largely flat national market and comes as Queensland has stepped up efforts to shut illicit tobacco, vape, and nicotine pouch retailers. More than 300 closure orders have been issued in the state since November, contributing to the closure of more than 1,000 illicit tobacco shops nationwide.

    The crackdown is projected to generate A$89 million ($62.3 million) in additional tobacco excise revenue and A$11 million ($7.7 million) in GST over two years, potentially covering enforcement costs. Quitline calls more than doubled in the 10 days following major enforcement operations, while a recent 10-day blitz resulted in 148 store closures and seizures of 11.8 million cigarettes, 1.7 tonnes of loose tobacco, 87,000 vapes, and 270,000 nicotine pouches.

  • Meta, TikTok Scrutinized for Illegal Nicotine Ads in Australia

    Meta, TikTok Scrutinized for Illegal Nicotine Ads in Australia

    TikTok and Meta are facing scrutiny in Australia after the Brisbane Times reported that their platforms carried paid advertisements promoting illegal cigarettes and vapes, including products allegedly supplied through criminal networks. The report said Meta’s advertising library showed 460 unique ads for Chinese vape brand Alibarbar, with at least 93 active when the newspaper contacted the company, while ads for cigarette brands including Manchester and Double Happiness also appeared on TikTok and Meta platforms. Both companies said they took action against accounts and ads identified by the newspaper.

    Meta said tobacco and vape ads violate its policies and that it had removed the reported ads and accounts, while TikTok said the identified accounts had been permanently banned. The report also cited estimates that 95% to 98% of Australian vape sales are illegal and Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing illicit cigarettes and vapes accounted for 80% of the market in 2025, up from 12% in 2017.

  • Australia’s Coalition Looking to Stop Illicit Tobacco, Gangs 

    Australia’s Coalition Looking to Stop Illicit Tobacco, Gangs 

    Australia’s opposition Coalition has unveiled a plan to tackle the country’s illicit tobacco and vape trade by cutting tobacco excise by 80% and committing A$200 million ($140 million) to a nationwide law-enforcement crackdown. The Coalition estimates organized crime groups make A$4.1 billion to A$6.9 billion ($2.9 billion to $4.8 billion) annually from illicit tobacco, with proceeds funding drug trafficking, scams, money laundering, and violence. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said the plan would attack criminal gangs by narrowing the price gap between legal and illegal cigarettes while strengthening efforts to shut illegal retailers, intercept shipments, and trace criminal finances. 

    The proposal would cut excise on a standard 20-pack from about A$30 to just over A$6 ($21 to $4.20) and legalize, regulate, and tax vapes and nicotine pouches for adults. The Coalition says illicit tobacco now accounts for about 80% of consumption and 95.7% of e-cigarettes sold are illegal, arguing current restrictions have pushed consumers toward criminal suppliers. It also proposes A$60 million ($42 million) for public education and says Parliamentary Budget Office modelling indicates the package could improve the budget balance by about A$8 billion ($5.6 billion) over four years and more than A$20 billion ($14 billion) over a decade. 

  • Australian Party Calls for 80% Tobacco Tax Cut

    Australian Party Calls for 80% Tobacco Tax Cut

    Australia’s federal opposition is calling for tobacco excise to be cut by up to 80% to undermine organized crime networks that it says now control much of the country’s tobacco market. A coalition task force report released today (Aug. 26) said as much as 80% of tobacco consumed in 2025 was illicit, up from 12% in 2017.

    Sen. Richard Colbeck and Monash MP Mary Aldred said high tobacco taxes have helped fuel an underground market linked to firebombings and arson attacks. “Criminals had taken ‘almost complete control of Australia’s tobacco market,’” the report said. Colbeck said the issue is no longer simply about smoking but “who controls a billion-dollar market in our economy: the Australian government or organized crime?”

    The report said tobacco excise revenue fell from about A$16 billion ($11.2 billion) in 2019-20 to A$8 billion ($5.6 billion) in 2024-25 and is projected to fall to A$4 billion ($2.8 billion) in 2025-26 and A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) by 2029-30. One Nation has proposed a 75% cut, while the Nationals and NSW Premier Chris Minns have also backed lower taxes. The Albanese government has opposed reducing the excise.

  • China, Australia Bust $64M Tobacco Syndicate

    China, Australia Bust $64M Tobacco Syndicate

    Australian and Chinese authorities worked to dismantle an international syndicate accused of shipping illegal tobacco into Australia, with more than 60 people arrested in China. The Australian Border Force said the syndicate shipped more than 90 containers of tobacco to Australia between January and May. Authorities seized more than 60 million cigarettes and 60 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco, with the tobacco valued at more than A$92 million ($64.4 million) based on the taxes allegedly evaded. Chinese authorities said the tobacco was likely manufactured and moved through Southeast Asia before being concealed in legitimate cargo bound for Australia.

    Ninety-one of the 112 containers flagged by Chinese authorities were found to contain illegal tobacco. Shipments left Shanghai concealed among goods including printers and lamps and largely arrived at Sydney port.

    Australia has experienced a sharp increase in illicit tobacco consumption in recent years. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 80% of tobacco and other nicotine products consumed in the country are now illicit, compared with 12% in 2017.

  • Australia Launches Nationwide Illegal Tobacco Crackdown

    Australia Launches Nationwide Illegal Tobacco Crackdown

    Australian authorities announced the launch of a major operation targeting the distribution of illegal tobacco, with more than 100 service stations raided across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the ACT on Aug. 11. Operation Shorthand involved about 250 federal, state, and territory officers and was based on shared intelligence and agency referrals, according to Assistant Minister for Customs Julian Hill.

    The raids come amid growing concern over Australia’s illicit tobacco market. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates illicit tobacco, vapes and loose-leaf tobacco accounted for about 80% of tobacco and nicotine consumption in 2025, compared with 12% in 2017.

    The operation remains ongoing, with authorities saying further outcomes will be announced. Hill said the government was targeting both sellers and suppliers of illegal tobacco and nicotine products, while the Australian Border Force said any decisions to temporarily close businesses suspected of selling illicit products would be made by the relevant state or territory authorities.

  • Australia Tightens Import Controls on Nicotine Pouches

    Australia Tightens Import Controls on Nicotine Pouches

    Australia strengthened regulation of nicotine pouches under new rules that took effect over the weekend, placing the products under the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s therapeutic goods framework. The changes restrict the import of unapproved nicotine pouches, extending Australia’s strict regulatory approach beyond nicotine vaping products to another smoke-free nicotine category.

    The new rules do not prohibit all nicotine pouch use but require products to meet regulatory approval requirements before they can be legally imported or supplied. The move aligns nicotine pouches with Australia’s existing controls on nicotine products and reflects the country’s continued focus on regulating emerging nicotine alternatives through therapeutic product oversight.

  • Labor Premier Breaks Ranks on Australia’s Tobacco Tax Policy

    Labor Premier Breaks Ranks on Australia’s Tobacco Tax Policy

    Calls are growing in Australia for the federal government to reconsider tobacco excise policy, with critics arguing high cigarette taxes are fueling the illicit tobacco market. NSW Premier Chris Minns said the “massive” excise, which adds about A$30 ($21) to a 20-pack of cigarettes, has created a price gap that benefits illegal sellers. He said the policy needs to be reviewed while emphasizing his opposition to smoking and tobacco companies.

    Former law enforcement officials and lawmakers also warned that seizures alone are not addressing the scale of the illicit trade. Former Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force officer Rohan Pike said enforcement efforts are only capturing a small portion of illegal tobacco entering the country, while Liberal MP Mary Aldred said the black market is contributing to organized crime concerns. The federal government has rejected lowering excise and said it remains focused on enforcement and border seizures.

  • Australia’s Tobacco Use Down, Pouches & Black Market Up: Survey

    Australia’s Tobacco Use Down, Pouches & Black Market Up: Survey

    Australia’s latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey shows daily smoking continues to decline, with the number of daily smokers falling by more than half since 2001 to about 1.3 million Australians, while 68.7% of people aged 14 and older report never having smoked. The 2025 survey also found daily e-cigarette use has largely plateaued since 2022, with frequent vaping among 18- to 24-year-olds dropping from 11.3% to 5.8%.

    However, researchers highlighted emerging challenges, including rising illicit tobacco use and nicotine pouches. The survey found one in three smokers now purchase black-market cigarettes — double the proportion reported in 2022 — while use of three or more nicotine products has tripled since 2019, signaling growing concern over poly-nicotine use despite overall declines in smoking.

  • Authorities Seize $7M in Illegal Tobacco, Vapes in Tasmania

    Authorities Seize $7M in Illegal Tobacco, Vapes in Tasmania

    Tasmanian authorities seized nearly A$10 million ($7 million) worth of illicit tobacco and vaping products during the 2025-26 financial year, including 5.43 million cigarettes, 2,535 kilograms of loose tobacco, and nearly 30,000 illegal vapes, following intensified enforcement efforts and closer cooperation between the Department of Health and Tasmania Police. The seizures come as the state implements tougher laws targeting illicit tobacco and vape sales, including higher penalties, new business closure powers, and restrictions on vending machine sales. At the same time, Tasmanian officials are urging Australia’s federal government to reduce tobacco excise taxes, arguing that high cigarette prices are fueling black market growth, reducing excise revenue, and strengthening organized crime despite continued declines in smoking rates.