Press Releases

Federal and State Health Ministers’ Working Group are meeting today to discuss a national crackdown on vaping must immediately start consultations with the retail industry if they are to be successful in tackling the rampant black market for e-cigarettes, the Australian Association of Convenience Stores said today. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler will meet with his state counterparts today to discuss the Albanese Government’s plans for a ban on “recreational vaping” and restriction of sale to pharmacies only. However, the absence of progress since Minister Butler’s initial announcement earlier this year shows there is a realisation that banning this product is far from straightforward. AACS has long maintained that the only practical solution to the vaping black market is strictly regulated retail sales to adults via responsible licensed retailers. AACS continues to work with all levels of government to support their efforts in eliminating youth access & supports strong enforcement…

AACS held its first Women in Convenience event for 2023 in Sydney on 19th July, at the Pullman Hotel Hyde Park in Sydney. With 90 registered delegates, it was great to see a good mix of males & females in attendance, along with a combination of senior leaders & wider AACS members across various different functions within their organisation.  The AACS Women in Convenience events are designed to promote & support diversity & inclusion in the workplace, providing insights & strategies to support members in their career & personal journeys. Our guest speaker for the event was Sheena Polese, a Leadership & Development coach with extensive experience in FMCG who specialises in coaching & development of women through the various stages of their career path. Sheena’s presentation focused broadly on leadership traits, personal development, personal responsibility & strategies that can be adopted to achieve your own personal goals. One of…

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is encouraging small businesses that have overdue income tax returns, fringe benefits tax returns or business activity statements to take advantage of a new amnesty to get their lodgements back on track. The amnesty was announced in the 2023-24 Budget. It applies to tax obligations that were originally due between 1 December 2019 and 28 February 2022 and runs from 1 June 2023 to 31 December 2023. To be eligible for the amnesty, the small business must be an entity with an aggregated turnover of less than $10 million at the time the original lodgement was due. During this time, eligible small businesses can lodge their eligible overdue forms and the ATO will then proactively remit any associated failure to lodge (FTL) penalties. ATO Assistant Commissioner Emma Tobias urged small businesses to take advantage of the amnesty to get back on track with their tax…

The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has applauded the South Australian Government’s crackdown on the sale of illicit nicotine vapes. Under the plan, South Australian retailers licenced to sell tobacco and e-cigarette will face tougher penalties if they are caught selling illegal nicotine vapes, including fines of up to $10,000. Unlicensed retailers caught selling illicit nicotine vaping products in SA will face fines of up to $20,000. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said the convenience industry welcomed the move. “This is a tough move that will help to weed out the dodgy operators that give our industry a bad name,” he said. Mr Foukkare said the South Australian crackdown – which will include a two-month enforcement blitz– is supported by AACS’ 7088 members. “AACS has thousands of member stores that follow the law, and we support any move that will punish shop owners selling nicotine vapes to kids,” he said.…

Call for federal government to identify migration solutions Australia’s top peak food industry bodies, which calculated the food supply chain was short at least 172,000 workers, from paddock to plate, before the Jobs & Skills Summit last September say limited progress is now weighing on both GDP growth, and the cost of household’s weekly shop. Figures released yesterday confirm Australia’s GDP growth has slowed to a crawl. Meanwhile the food supply chain which represents more than 10% of GDP is operating at reduced capacity due to workforce constraints. Farmers, food suppliers, distributors, independent supermarkets, grocers, butchers, food processors and hospitality are all sending a united message: if you want a stronger economy, just add workers. With almost 80% of Australians concerned about the price of food, labour shortages are, from a ‘cost of business’ perspective, one of the contributing factors to food price increases to the consumer as well as…

The Queensland Parliament’s move to strictly licence and police the sale of tobacco products has been welcomed by the nation’s peak body for convenience stores. Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said the move would finally give authorities the power to prosecute and shut down renegade operators that deliberately break the law. One in five packets of cigarettes sold in Australia today are from the black market, and all nicotine vaping products are being sold illegally – they’re also being brought in and distributed by these criminals. “We’ve been working collaboratively with the Queensland State Government’s working group and calling for this for a long time, we are happy to see the new legislation now passed” Mr Foukkare said. Under the new laws strict rules will be put in place for any business that applies for a licence to sell tobacco products. “As part of AACS recommendations…