Big tobacco is back in town as cigarette tax fight lights up Australian politics
Australian political parties are debating significant cuts to tobacco excise taxes, sparking controversy among public health advocates. The tobacco industry is actively lobbying for these changes, citing the rise of the illicit cigarette trade.
Why it matters
The intersection of public health policy, political lobbying, and organized crime creates a complex regulatory challenge for the Australian government.
The tobacco industry’s influence campaign has burst back into the headlines as the Coalition and One Nation pledged cuts to tobacco excise. The tobacco industry’s influence campaign has burst back into the headlines as the Coalition and One Nation pledged cuts to tobacco excise. Australian politics Big tobacco is back in town as cigarette tax fight lights up Australian politics The industry has been pushing for cuts to excise for decades. With the explosion in illegal cigarette sales, those calls have grown louder
Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast
Prefer the Guardian on Google Anti-smoking campaigners had been on the lookout for weeks.
While in Canberra for hearings about the booming illicit trade in Australia in May, longtime observers of the tobacco industry suspected its lobbyists were working in the background to influence events.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in