Massive change coming to cigarettes in Australia – as government tries to stamp out smoking for good

Every cigarette sold in Australia will have a health warning printed on it under strict new laws aimed at eradicating smoking.

According to tobacco regulations, warnings such as ‘poison in every puff’, ‘damages your lungs’, ’causes 16 types of cancer’, ‘shortens your life’ and ‘toxic addiction’ must be printed on every cigarette by April 2025.

“We will be one of the first countries in the world to introduce this new public health measure, once again seeking to educate, but also discourage, smokers from using this deadly product,” Health Minister Mark Butler said when introducing the legislation last year announced.

The regulatory guidance was released in October 2024, giving manufacturers five months to meet the April 2025 deadline.

Mr Butler said retailers will have a three-month transition period, from April 1 to the end of June next year, to gradually reduce old stock.

But industry sources told the Daily Telegraph that manufacturers will need more time to revamp their supply chains in time to produce the new government-required cigarettes.

If manufacturers don’t meet the deadline, Australia could face a situation where legal cigarettes are no longer available in stores.

Senator Matt Canavan warned the government there was a “clear and understandable risk” of people turning to illegal cigarettes as a result of the legislation.

“If there is an interruption in the supply of legal tobacco, that would encourage people to use illegal tobacco,” he said on Senate Estimates last week, questioning Department of Health Secretary Dr. Liz Develin.

“Rushing the implementation of this, and perhaps not allowing manufacturers to respond in time, could lead to increased use of illicit tobacco.”

“A big reason why organized crime is well funded in this country is because illicit tobacco is very, very lucrative.”

Theo Foukkare, CEO of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, said they supported the government’s initiative but warned the deadline was unrealistic.

“If you were to print one message on a cigarette stick, that’s somewhat feasible, but we have to reconfigure it,” Foukkare said. The Daily Telegraph.

‘Retailers will only be able to purchase products that meet the requirements if their suppliers can deliver them.

“This isn’t about saying we don’t want to do this, but we can’t do it within the time frame.”

Australia has followed the Canadian government in introducing warning labels on cigarette sticks in August 2023.

Manufacturers in Canada had until July 2024 to print the messages on all king-size cigarettes and until April 2025 to print regular cigarettes and small cigars.

Cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due to high taxes, with a pack of 20 costing between $39 and $60 depending on the brand. Of this, $26 is tax.

Cigarette taxes will be indexed twice a year based on average salaries, with the tax per stick rising 2.8 percent to $1.27816 on March 1, up from $1.24335.

This has fueled a thriving black market.

A Sydney smoker, Tom, regularly buys a pack of cigarettes on the black market for $12, or splurges and pays $20 for an illegal pack of Marlboro.

He says they are being sold in every suburb and blames the federal government’s continued tax increases.

‘I hardly know anyone who buys legitimate cigarettes; and I don’t blame the small shops for selling them.

‘Go to any pub and look around at the packs of cigarettes on the table – there are very few of the legal variety in plain packaging.’