Alex Hyman

Australian Border Force is cracking down on the illicit tobacco market in Australia, last year seizing record amounts at the border. Last financial year Border Force seized 2.6 billion illicit cigarettes, over 430 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco, and 6 million vapes. In Queensland, it's been more than six months since the government introduced tough laws, aimed at cracking down on shops selling vapes and illicit cigarettes.

In Australia's most decentralised state, travelling hundreds of kilometres for routine healthcare is a fact of life for many regional Queenslanders. But rising travel costs are putting added pressure on tight household budgets. Patients and advocates are calling on the state government to fix a raft of issues they say are plaguing the state's patient travel subsidy scheme.