Australians will be opening their cigarettes packs to find health warnings branded onto the filter as part of the government’s strict new laws to stamp out smoking.
‘Poison in every puff’ and ‘toxic addiction’ are just two of the messages manufacturers must print on every cigarette by April, under government tobacco regulations.
Other messages include ‘damages your lungs’, ’causes 16 cancers’ and ‘shortens your life’.
The regulation guidelines were released in October 2024, giving manufacturers five months to comply with the deadline.
Retailers will have a three-month transition period, from April 1 to the end of June gradually phase out their old stock.
Health minister Mark Butler said Australia is ‘one of the first countries in the world to include this new public health measure’.
The aim is to ‘educate but also dissuade smokers from using this deadly product’, he said.
Other changes are also being introduced, including a ban on features that make tobacco more appealing, such as menthol and crush balls.
Additionally, graphic warnings on packaging will be updated and enhanced, packet and product sizes will be standardised, and new health promotion inserts will be added to packs and pouches to support and encourage people to quit smoking.
‘Poison in every puff’ and ‘toxic addiction’ are just two of the messages printed on every cigarette by under the tobacco regulations
Cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due to heavy taxation.
Cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due to heavy taxation. A standard 20-pack costs over $50, depending on the brand, with 70 per cent of the retail price ($35) going to the government in excise tax.
Cigarette excise taxes increase twice a year in line with average wages. On March 1, the tax per cigarette rose by 2.8 per cent to $1.27816, up from $1.24335.
However, these constant tax hikes have fueled a booming black market, with millions of Australians turning to illegal, counterfeit cigarettes sold in convenience stores.
And despite the tax increases, government revenue from tobacco has plummeted—dropping 39 per cent in just four years, from a peak of $16 billion in 2019/20 to $9.8 billion in 2023/24.
The ATO now estimates that nearly one in five cigarettes smoked in Australia comes from criminal syndicates that evade taxes and sell at deep discounts on the black market.
Illegal cigarettes are significantly cheaper, costing between $10 and $20 per pack—less than half the price of legal ones.
Many Australians argue that higher taxes and stricter health warnings have been ineffective, as more smokers are simply turning to illicit tobacco instead.
One said: ‘Just buy knock offs at any of the thousands of tobacconists that have sprung up in the last year or so. The one near me doesn’t even sell legit ciggies.’
A second added ‘The people that need to see it aren’t buying these – they’re getting the under the table 3 for $50 off brand packs.’
Many Australians argue that higher taxes and stricter health warnings have been ineffective, as more smokers are simply turning to illicit tobacco instead
A third said: ‘Anyone who still buys legal cigarettes at $40 a pack needs to have their heads examined. Either quit or go to any tobacconist and get them for $12.’
But some Australians are pleased with the change, and argued for further government intervention on smoking.
‘Now do the same for alcohol and fast food. I wanna see “quit eating s***” seared on the top of every hamburger bun,’ one said.
‘Cigarettes should be banned outright in public, I hate getting bombarded with the second hand smoke from selfish smokers,’ a second added.
