Hill cites rise in legal tobacco sales after Queensland enforcement crackdown

Assistant Minister Julian Hill has seized on figures showing legal tobacco sales rose 55 per cent in Queensland following stronger enforcement.

The state's sales rose 55 per cent in the first month after new enforcement laws took effect in November and remained 40 to 45 per cent above previous levels for the following six months.

Federal Labor has been under pressure to reduce the tobacco excise after the Coalition and One Nation pledged to drastically reduce the tax.

Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Hill says strong licensing laws, tougher penalties, long-term closure orders and landlord penalties are effective in tackling illicit tobacco.

"We're not in some race to the bottom or bidding war with organised crime. That's not the government's policy. We're not going to surrender our health policy to these people," Hill says.

"Imagine a world where you wiped out all tobacco excise, the illegal cigarettes are still cheaper. You still have to go after the crooks and shut the shop and disrupt the criminal syndicates."

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says his party would use taxpayer money to build new coal-fired power stations in Australia.

Speaking to Channel Seven, Joyce has pointed to China as an example for building new coal-fired power stations.

"You'd have to look at what they're doing in China. They just roll them basically off the plans," Joyce says.

"If you go to build something that's first of type, you're going to pay a lot more money than if you build something that's more affordable."

But Labor MP Josh Burns has called the plan "mad" and has accused Joyce of wearing a "tinfoil hat".

"Our productivity of Australia is something that's so important, right? We need to make sure we're producing more. And the idea that we would go back and take away all of the science-based renewable energy projects is just mad," Burns says.

Bula from warm and humid Fiji 🌴🍹

Pre-COP is kicking off today and I'll be your eyes and ears on the ground, bringing you everything you need to know over the coming days.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen are set to attend.

Pre-COP is a multi-day United Nations event featuring high-level climate talks, ahead of next month's main conference.

You might recall that Australia handed hosting rights for COP31 to Türkiye in exchange for Bowen becoming President of Negotiations.

The deal also meant a lead-up event would be held in Fiji and Tuvalu, which is why we're here.

You can read more about the event as well as the pressure that's being applied to Australia to stop expanding coal and gas projects in the link below.

Hello and welcome to our federal politics live blog! It's great to have you join us here early this Monday morning.

I'm Josh Boscaini joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today's federal politics news.

The PM and climate change minister are off to pre-COP in Fiji today ahead of next month's main conference. Expect to hear more about that.

Otherwise, let's get this show on the road!

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