Australia forms National Disruption Group to combat illicit tobacco and converging crime threats

Key points

• Australia has formed a new national task force to combat illegal tobacco and address the issues of the black market tobacco trade.
• Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke stated that multiple departments need to coordinate in order to track and combat criminal organizations.
• Illegal tobacco accounts for 64% of tobacco consumption in Australia, severely impacting the federal budget.
• The government has invested over 350 million Australian dollars in combating illegal tobacco and nicotine products.

2Firsts, October 17, 2025 — Australia’s federal government has launched a new multi-agency task force, the National Disruption Group, to combat the expanding illicit tobacco market and its overlap with broader organised crime networks.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC’s Insiders that stronger coordination was needed as criminal activities involving illicit tobacco, arson, narcotics, and child exploitation had become increasingly interconnected. “The same criminal groups are involved across these threats,” he said. “If there is a convergence of threats, there must be a convergence of protection.”

The National Disruption Group will be led by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and include the Australian Federal Police, state police, AUSTRAC, the Criminal Intelligence Commission, the Tax Office, and the Departments of Home Affairs, Health, and Agriculture, as well as Services Australia and the Illicit Tobacco Commissioner.

The group will focus on disrupting mid-level operators and “enablers” — including small businesses and independent traders involved in importing, distributing, or selling illegal tobacco. The strategy will cover pre-border intelligence, border interception, warehousing, and financial tracking.

The initiative will be funded by AU$188.5 million previously allocated to Border Force for anti-illicit tobacco measures, with total federal spending on the issue surpassing AU$350 million since last year.

Beyond enforcement, the task force will consider legislative and regulatory reforms to target individuals and entities profiting from the illicit tobacco and vaping trade.

Health Minister Mark Butler has described illegal tobacco as Australia’s “most significant public health threat.” Turf wars between criminal gangs over tobacco have led to arson and violence in Victoria and New South Wales, while government excise revenue has declined despite repeated tax increases.

Image source: ABC