LABOR POLICY:
* The Labor government introduced laws to parliament on Thursday overhauling customs rules, aiming to stop illegal cigarettes at the border
* Previous rules stipulated that tobacco had to be knowingly illegally imported to warrant a charge
* Selling cigarettes for less than the amount of excise and GST, along with concealing or presenting them in different packaging, would now become a chargeable offence
* The changes would make it easier for authorities to seize and destroy or lawfully sell illegal tobacco products
* Labor has pushed back against proposals to slash the tobacco excise, which has increased 34 per cent since the party took office in 2022, although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese didn't rule out a cut this week
* "These new laws will be a powerful tool for the Australian Border Force and all state and territory police to go after serious and organised crime, and may be used against retail operators, as well as other companies involved in the trade" - Assistant Customs Minister Julian Hill
COALITION POLICY:
* Seeks to cut the tobacco excise by 80 per cent
* This would reduce the tax on a packet of 20 cigarettes by $24
* The coalition also wants the legalisation, regulation, and taxation of vapes and nicotine pouches for adults
* $200 million will be put towards a police crackdown on the illegal tobacco sales network
* ''Our strong plan will attack the gangs where it hurts by taking away their massive price advantage, taking away their customers, and taking away their profits" - Opposition Leader Angus Taylor
ONE NATION POLICY:
* Proposing a cut to the tobacco excise by 75 per cent and pausing indexation for three years
* They will pair the cut with far tougher action on organised crime
* "This is not about encouraging smoking. It is about restoring the rule of law and breaking the black market" - One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson
GREENS POLICY
* No cut to the tobacco excise
* They argue any tobacco excise cut will only benefit big tobacco companies
