Raise penalties and give police stronger powers to fight illegal tobacco — back it or block it?
This bill targets Australia's booming illegal tobacco trade. It increases criminal penalties for importing, making, buying, selling and possessing illicit tobacco; lets law enforcement use phone taps and wider search and surveillance powers for these offences; and strengthens proceeds-of-crime and unexplained-wealth laws to seize criminals' cash, cars and property. Labor says illegal tobacco has become a multibillion-dollar organised-crime problem fuelling firebombings and violence, and this changes the risk-reward equation for criminals. The Coalition backed the bill's passage but moved an amendment saying it is too little, too late, and argued high tobacco excise created the black market. Independent Allegra Spender also supported it but said penalties alone can't fix the problem. Debate ran more than three hours — no formal vote was recorded.