Illegal tobacco importers will face the same scrutiny as weapons and drug smugglers in a federal campaign using global intelligence sharing to curb the booming black market for cigarettes as Labor rejects calls to cut excise on cigarettes.LoadingPolice ministers agreed to make tobacco enforcement a top priority at a meeting yesterday as the Albanese government pushes for uniform state licensing, multimillion-dollar fines for retailers and harsh penalties for criminal importers to rein in the sector fuelling gang wars and firebombings.But Labor has rebuffed the argument from NSW Premier Chris Minns and some Coalition MPs that tobacco excise should be cut on the basis that its steep rise in recent years has encouraged smokers to buy illegal cigarettes, punching a huge hole in the budget.Australian Border Force officers checking illegal cigarette imports found in shipping containers in Melbourne.Credit: Luis Enrique AscuiAssistant Minister for Customs Julian Hill said the government would not “back off and will not surrender our health policy to organised crime”.Federal figures released to this masthead show a threefold increase in the number of cigarettes seized from four years ago, with 346,000 kilograms of illicit tobacco and more than 2 million vapes taken off the streets in the past year.Latest postsLatest postsHealth Minister Mark Butler says the Australian government is in contact with Israeli authorities about the Australian detainees being held by Israel after being removed from the flotilla that was attempting to deliver aid to civilians in war-ravaged Gaza.“We’ve put in a formal request to the Israeli authorities now to have clear information about how many Australians have been detained, and obviously to have consular access to those Australians as well,” Butler said on Seven’s Sunrise this morning.“We have provided clear advice, I have to say, for Australians not to take part in these attempts to break the naval blockade, because of obvious safety risks that are involved here.“I get that Australians want to see aid flow, particularly basic aid like food and medicines, to civilians in Gaza but for those who are detained, of course we will be providing consular support to them.”Australians Juliet Lamont and Hamish Paterson on board the flotilla boat Wahoo.Credit: FacebookAppearing alongside Butler was Liberal senator Jane Hume, who encouraged Australians who might be concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to “go through [aid] organisations that are fit for purpose to help”.“Putting yourselves in danger, getting on a flotilla of boats, putting yourself in a war zone partly run by a terrorist organisation, is not the wisest course of action and is something that we would recommend against vociferously.”The United Nations reported in August that 88 per cent of aid trucks in the period between May and August this year had been blocked from entering Gaza.A man has been charged over an indecent act allegedly committed on a train in Brisbane’s bayside.The Bayside Child Protection and Investigation Unit said “witnesses reported seeing man board a train at Wynnum and allegedly conduct an indecent act before disembarking at Hemmant” on September 18 between 8.50am and 9.30am.“On September 30, police released a public appeal for information to assist in the identification of the man,” police said.“In a direct response to the appeal, shortly before 1pm on October 1 a member of the public sighted the man and contacted police.”A 35-year-old River Ranch man was arrested in Wynnum and charged with one count of an indecent act in any place to which the public are permitted to access.He is expected to appear before Wynnum Magistrates Court on October 20.

Illegal tobacco importers will face the same scrutiny as weapons and drug smugglers in a federal campaign using global intelligence sharing to curb the booming black market for cigarettes as Labor rejects calls to cut excise on cigarettes.LoadingPolice ministers agreed to make tobacco enforcement a top priority at a meeting yesterday as the Albanese government pushes for uniform state licensing, multimillion-dollar fines for retailers and harsh penalties for criminal importers to rein in the sector fuelling gang wars and firebombings.But Labor has rebuffed the argument from NSW Premier Chris Minns and some Coalition MPs that tobacco excise should be cut on the basis that its steep rise in recent years has encouraged smokers to buy illegal cigarettes, punching a huge hole in the budget.Australian Border Force officers checking illegal cigarette imports found in shipping containers in Melbourne.Credit: Luis Enrique AscuiAssistant Minister for Customs Julian Hill said the government would not “back off and will not surrender our health policy to organised crime”.Federal figures released to this masthead show a threefold increase in the number of cigarettes seized from four years ago, with 346,000 kilograms of illicit tobacco and more than 2 million vapes taken off the streets in the past year.

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After a simmering spring day in the River City yesterday, the bureau has forecast a slightly cooler run of days from today.It should be a sunny, clear Friday, and despite the temperature predicted to climb to a maximum of 28 degrees later in the day, the apparent temperature is much cooler.Our seven-day outlook shows that after similar maximums this weekend, the daily peaks will climb again from early next week.Here’s what’s making news further afield:Aspiring teachers have been caught smuggling calculators and mobile phones and impersonating their peers in a bid to cheat on major literacy and numeracy exams they must pass to graduate from university.The prices of homes in the firing line of rising seas have continued to climb despite fears that climate change could slash billions from the value of coastal properties.Members of the public and congregants seen as police and other emergency responders attend the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.Credit: Getty ImagesTwo people have died and another four are in hospital after an assailant drove into pedestrians and stabbed victims outside a synagogue in Manchester on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Greater Manchester Police said a man believed to be the offender was shot dead and a bomb disposal unit had been called to the scene in north-west England. The US government shutdown has entered its second day after Congress failed to reach a funding deal. The White House yesterday said that layoffs of federal workers were “imminent”, but now says firings are likely to be “in the thousands”.Illegal tobacco importers will face the same scrutiny as weapons and drug smugglers in a federal campaign using global intelligence sharing to curb the booming black market for cigarettes as Labor rejects calls to cut excise on cigarettes. Good morning and welcome to Brisbane Times’ news blog for Friday, October 3. Today we can expect a mostly sunny day with a maximum of 28 degrees.In this morning’s local headlines:Almost $100 million was spent on temporary buildings in Queensland state schools last financial year, with most investment occurring in the booming south-east.Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris, a former Donald Trump adviser, says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should not be afraid to stand firm to the US president when they finally meet at the White House this month.Donald Trump with Andrew Liveris at a rally in 2016.Credit: APLiveris also defended charging businesses $250 a head to attend the launch of the Olympic and Paralympic procurement program, saying the organising committee was unapologetically in the business of raising revenue.The department boss who pressed go on a “bungled IT program” that potentially stopped Child Safety officers from acting on time-sensitive risks to vulnerable children says it was launched for budgetary reasons.The creation of a Queensland peak body for sexual violence will give victim survivors a greater say on laws and policies, according to the service provider tasked with fast-tracking its delivery.And the NRL and NRLW grand finals are this weekend. Xavier Willison reveals he has been “drinking lots of milk” as he prepares to break the Broncos’ premiership charge wide open – and he also intends to invoke memories of the great Shane Webcke.Plus, as we head into the weekend, test your general knowledge of Brisbane with this fiendishly difficult trivia challenge.