To: The Australian Government, Department of Health, and State Enforcement Agencies

We, the undersigned, call on the Australian Government to end the punitive, revenue-driven approach to tobacco enforcement and instead invest in real, accessible public health solutions.

 

🚫 The Problem

 

For decades, the government has known the harms of tobacco. Yet it continues to profit from its sale, collecting over $15 billion annually through excise taxes. Now, under the banner of “public health,” authorities are raiding small retailers, seizing stock, and shutting down stores—many of them owned by migrants and low-income Australians.

 

This is not about health. It’s about protecting revenue.

 

Meanwhile, quit-smoking aids remain expensive, hard to access, and poorly supported:

- Champix (varenicline) costs up to $62.99 privately or $31.50 under the PBS, with strict limits on how often it can be prescribed.

- Nicotine patches, gum, and lozenges are not fully subsidised, costing $30–$70 per month.

- There is no national program offering free or universally affordable quit products.

- Many people who relapse or need extended support are cut off from help due to arbitrary PBS restrictions.

 

⚖️ The Double Standard

 

While tobacco is criminalized at the retail level, alcohol—responsible for far more violence, emergency callouts, and public harm—remains widely available and socially normalized. Where is the same urgency to address alcohol-related harm?

 

📢 Our Demands

 

We demand that the government:

1. Acknowledge its role in creating and profiting from the tobacco economy.

2. End the over-policing of small retailers and marginalized communities.

3. Fully subsidise quit aids and make them freely and consistently available to all who want to quit—without arbitrary time limits or barriers.

4. Invest in culturally appropriate, community-led education and support, not just raids and penalties.

5. Implement a licensing and harm-reduction model that prioritizes health over punishment.

 

✊ It’s Time for Honest Public Health

 

You cannot claim to care about public health while profiting from addiction and criminalizing poverty. If we are serious about reducing harm, we must start with honesty—and with policies that prioritize people over profit.

 

Sign this petition to demand a fair, compassionate, and evidence-based approach to tobacco policy.