Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I do not want to slow this down, but I very quickly want to raise an issue. The point is that, in terms of the revenue that has been reaped from tobacco excise—and I am not arguing about the revenue; cigarettes are more expensive to discourage consumption—it seems that, over the years, the amount of revenue was something like $40 billion from 2009 to 2014-15 but the amount that was spent on antismoking campaigns, according to the information I have, for that same period was about $135 million. Also, with respect to nicotine replacement therapies: it still costs people money to try and quit. Is the government considering expanding the Quitlines and the funding to education campaigns, and also to make it easier for people to quit smoking by making nicotine replacement therapies either free or even cheaper?