Victoria will finally set up a tobacco licensing scheme, more than two years after it was recommended, as part of a crackdown on the illegal tobacco trade that has sparked a spate of fire bombings.
Premier Jacinta Allan told Raf Epstein on ABC Mornings that the government was working a new licensing scheme with legislation set to be introduced by the end of 2024.
“We’re working through the different areas of government. This is one of those areas of government that covers a few different agencies.
There’s health, there’s justice, there’s police, there’s a whole range of different areas that are intersecting,” Ms Allan said.
There will be a period of consultation, the premier said.
“There’s many of these small businesses who run a small business and we’ve got to make sure that we support them on this change because many of the shops that sell cigarettes, there’s many other products that they sell and they’re legitimate businesses and they’re running good strong small businesses that we want to make sure they can continue to,” she said.
The Andrews government commissioned the Better Regulation Commissioner Anna Cronin to examine the issue – she handed a report to the state in 2022 which recommended a licensing scheme.
Scheme set to help combat tobacco shop firebombings
Victoria has been hit by a series of underground firebombing on tobacco shops with the illegal tobacco trade worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The state has blamed the outbreak of violence on the price of cigarettes and the flood of illegal tobacco coming into Australia.
Ms Allan paid tribute to the efforts of Victoria Police to combat the firebombings.
“The licensing scheme will help reinforce that work of Victoria Police, but that’s not the only reason obviously why we’re doing it.”
Former federal police and border force officer Rohan Pike set up the Tobacco Strike Team.
Now a consultant, he says Victoria needs some form of regulation, because at the moment the state was relying on Customs to stop tobacco from entering the country.
“There needs to be a harder regime to suppress it,” Mr Pike said.
He said there had been a lack of effort on the issue.
“Any regulation is only as good as the enforcement.”
Ms Allan said there was also an opportunity to improve health of the community through the licensing scheme.
VicHealth chief executive Dr Sandro Demaio welcomed the pledge on social media.
“This is an important step to protect Victorians from the scourge of tobacco, and its enormous disease toll,” he wrote on X.
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