Big tobacco is back in town as cigarette tax fight lights up Australian politics

The industry has been pushing for cuts to excise for decades.

With the explosion in illegal cigarette sales, those calls have grown louder Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anti-smoking campaigners had been on the lookout for weeks.

While in Canberra for hearings about the booming illicit trade in Australia in May, longtime observers of the tobacco industry suspected its lobbyists were working in the background to influence events.

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