One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has pushed back against comparisons between calls to make legal cigarettes cheaper and the legalization of cocaine and marijuana. His comments came amid escalating debates in Australia over tobacco taxes, with both One Nation and the Coalition proposing significant cuts to the tobacco excise.
Joyce contended that lowering the price of legal cigarettes could help alleviate the illegal trade, which he stated accounts for a substantial portion of tobacco consumption. "We used to have cheaper cigarettes and we didn't have an illegal trade," Joyce said, noting that around 80 percent of tobacco consumed in 2025 was estimated to be illegal, a sharp increase from 12 percent in 2017.
During an interview, Joyce was questioned about whether the same logic used for cheaper cigarettes should apply to legalizing other drugs. He responded by comparing the perceived dangers of different substances, suggesting that smoking a cigarette might be less risky than consuming cocaine or marijuana.
"If I'm going down the road, what would you rather me be doing? Having a bunga (cigarette) in my mouth and smoking it, or taking a big long line (of cocaine) and sticking it up my nose, or maybe just pulling a whole heap of cones?" Joyce asked. He added that unlike drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol, "no driver has been busted for being over the limit due to cigarettes."
Joyce's party has proposed a 75 percent cut to the tobacco excise, a move that could reduce the cost of a cigarette pack by as much as $30, bringing prices back to levels not seen since 2013. The Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has also advocated for an 80 percent excise reduction.
Senior government minister Tanya Plibersek criticized proposals to slash tobacco excise, warning that it could harm public health and lead to more deaths, attributing Australia's low smoking rates to the current high cost of cigarettes.
Joyce also accused the Coalition of adopting One Nation's policy, a claim that was denied by Liberal deputy Jane Hume, who described the proposal as a solution to a policy problem rather than a slogan.