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

Sue Lines

I'll now deal with the Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Illicit Tobacco Enforcement Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2026. I will first deal with the second reading amendment circulated by One Nation. The question is that the amendment on sheet 4187 be agreed to.

One Nation 's circulated amendment

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate:

(a) notes that:

(i) organised crime now accounts for up to 80% of sales of tobacco products,

(ii) law enforcement is overwhelmed by the scale of the industry leading to widespread violence and property damage,

(iii) law-abiding citizens and small businesses in proximity to illicit tobacco outlets are in physical and financial danger,

(iv) organised crime is facilitating cigarette sales to children, and

(v) the very high rate of tobacco excise has broken the compact between government and the public to each treat the other fairly; and

(b) calls on the Albanese Government to:

(i) reduce the excise rate of tobacco products by 75%, effective immediately,

(ii) maintain the lower rate until organised crime has been controlled,

(iii) cancel indexation of the excise rate for three years,

(iv) direct the eSafety Commissioner to use their existing powers to take down websites offering direct sales of illicit tobacco products, and

(v) once organised crime has been controlled, return tobacco excise to a more sensible level as provided under recommendation 2 of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee's report of its inquiry into the illegal tobacco crisis in Australia".