Philip Morris uses secret Senate hearing to warn illegal tobacco in Australia could wipe out legal trade by 2030

Company pushes for lower excise and claims threats warrant secrecy, while critics say it has ‘no interest in public health or safety’

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Tobacco giant Philip Morris told a secret Senate hearing that soaring trade in illegal cigarettes would wipe out legal products in Australia as soon as 2030, claiming executives’ identities should be kept secret because of threats from organised crime.

Labor criticised Coalition MPs for allowing the company to give evidence to an inquiry on illegal tobacco in a closed-door session in Canberra on Monday, ending more than 15 years of precedent under a World Health Organization (WHO) agreement.