The Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026 will expand law enforcement powers to investigate illicit tobacco related offending and increase the penalties and consequences for persons involved in illicit tobacco offending. This bill digest outlines the purpose and structure of the bill, the background, and the policy position of non-government parties/independents.

This report assesses the scale, drivers and impacts of Australia’s illicit tobacco market, benchmarks Australia internationally and models how different policy approaches (excise reform plus strengthened enforcement) may affect legal consumption, illicit consumption and government revenue. It finds reducing excise rates would shift consumption away from illicit products.

A collection of nine articles provides short analyses of issues that may be considered over the course of the 48th Parliament. Each article gives a high-level perspective of significant public policy issues, covering background, context and legislative history, as well as some of the policy and legislative directions raised in the public debate.

This is the first report from the Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette (ITEC) Commissioner on Australia's illicit tobacco and e-cigarette market. This report provides a centralised, data-driven assessment to help counter illicit trade and its damaging health and community impacts, and identifies areas to guide the way forward.

Australia’s tobacco control policy has reached a breaking point. Since 2019–20, revenue has persistently fallen short of forecasts and an illicit market has expanded. This paper explains how split responsibilities and misaligned incentives have produced this outcome. The paper calls for bold policy change, summarised in three key recommendations.