Australia news live: father of Holly Morton-Bowles ‘devastated’ ahead of expected charges over Laos methanol poisoning

Melbourne travellers Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, were fatally poisoned while backpacking in 2024. Follow today’s news live.

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Spike in illicit tobacco ‘a law and order disaster’, health minister says

Australia is experiencing an “explosion” in illegal cigarettes, despite fresh data revealing the nation’s smoking rate has fallen to historic lows.

Those who smoke are increasingly using illicit tobacco, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) National Drug Strategy Household Survey has found.

But daily smoking rates have fallen to a historic low and are tracking well ahead of national targets, while vaping rates have stabilised.

It shouldn’t be any surprise, in spite of this explosion of illegal cigarettes - which has been a law and order disaster – that that hasn’t changed the general mindset of smokers.

They want to quit and they need some help to do that.

It is devastating news to us.

We’re still not convinced that they’re the right people.

We’ve had so many conflicting stories come out, it’s very hard to pin down who exactly is at fault.