Illicit tobacco is a wicked problem, will cutting taxes fix it?

from The Radio National Hour · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Nearly a year ago Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, was awarded an Oscar for best documentary, in recognition of his film ‘No Other Land’. It tells the story of Palestinians struggling to stop the demolition of their homes in the West Bank. But since then the golden statuette has only brought heartache and violence, with repeated attacks by Israeli settlers on his village. Hamdan says he’s being punished for telling the truthOrganised criminals are making $10 billion a year from illegal tobacco in Australia. The trade is bringing violence to our suburbs and depriving the treasury of billions in lost excise revenue, prompting calls for it to be slashed. Have we got our tobacco tax policy spectacularly wrong? According to Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia and Dr James Martin, a criminologist and expert in illicit markets from the Deakin University School of Humanities and Social Sciences its a vexed questions that provokes passionate responses. Ed Sheeran fans will know his hit song ‘Galway Girl’, but do you know its inspired by a real fiddle player in a real life Irish band called Beoga. They’ve been pals and collaborators for years now and the group is here supporting Sheeran on his Australian tour.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 17, 2026

What this episode covers

Nearly a year ago Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, was awarded an Oscar for best documentary, in recognition of his film ‘No Other Land’. It tells the story of Palestinians struggling to stop the demolition of their homes in the West Bank. But since then the golden statuette has only brought heartache and violence, with repeated attacks by Israeli settlers on his village. Hamdan says he’s being punished for telling the truth Organised criminals are making $10 billion a year from illegal tobacco in Australia. The trade is bringing violence to our suburbs and depriving the treasury of billions in lost excise revenue, prompting calls for it to be slashed. Have we got our tobacco tax policy spectacularly wrong? According to Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia and Dr James Martin, a criminologist and expert in illicit markets from the Deakin University School of Humanities and Social Sciences its a vexed questions that provokes passionate responses. Ed Sheeran fans will know his hit song ‘Galway Girl’, but do you know its inspired by a real fiddle player in a real life Irish band called Beoga. They’ve been pals and collaborators for years now and the group is here supporting Sheeran on his Australian tour.

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