According to a report from Australian media outlet Miragenews, the Australian government has announced a funding of AUD 188.5 million to work in collaboration with the states and territories to provide the Australian Border Force (ABF) with new enforcement measures over the next four years in order to combat illegal tobacco trade. The ABF will lead federal, state, and territory partners in tackling all aspects of the illegal tobacco issue.
The new compliance model has three key points:
Australian Border Force (ABF) will collaborate with international partners to prevent the illegal inflow of tobacco into Australia. ABF will actively target and disrupt illegal tobacco from its origin and transit countries before it reaches the Australian border. Enhancing ABF's capability to combat illegal tobacco trade at the border will involve intelligence gathering, crackdown on criminal organizations, investigations, identification, seizure, and destruction of illegal tobacco. ABF will introduce technological advancements, including the use of artificial intelligence for detecting tobacco threats, to enhance detection and combat capabilities. Federal agencies and state and territorial law enforcement partners will be empowered to proactively target domestic illegal tobacco groups attempting to bring tobacco into Australia. This effort will involve coordinating multiple agencies and jurisdictions across states and territories.
The government's intensified efforts are set to further obstruct and deter illegal tobacco activities in Australia, taking the significant achievements made in conjunction with state and territory partners since the establishment of the Illegal Tobacco Taskforce in July 2018 to new heights.
We will continue to send a clear message to individuals and organizations involved in the illegal tobacco industry that engaging in illegal tobacco trade is a serious crime.
Tobacco serves as a significant source of income for organized criminal activities to support their other illicit endeavors. The distribution and sales of illegal tobacco products in Australia have been extensively linked to severe and organized criminal activities.
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