Australian Association of Convenience Stores Media Release
The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare says Health Minister Mark Butler’s admission today that illicit tobacco has “exploded” in Australia is a late concession that his approach has failed – and that his policies are fuelling the very crisis he now claims to be tackling.
Mr Foukkare said no overseas market faces an illicit tobacco crisis on the scale of Australia’s and the Minister is scrambling to save face as his legacy in tobacco control lies in tatters.
“For the Minister to suggest every country faces the same problem is a complete falsehood. In Australia, an innocent woman has died, another was shot and more than 250 firebombings have been linked to the trade – violence unseen anywhere else in the developed world,” Mr Foukkare said.
“The Government has handed every crime gang in Australia a licence to print money. They’ve tossed $300 million at the states to clean up his mess – pocket money in a billion-dollar black market.”
Mr Foukkare said the Minister’s framing of illicit tobacco as a global problem ignored the fact that Australia’s is uniquely severe.
“Countries like Sweden and Germany have sensible excise rates, regulated vapes and some of the lowest smoking rates in the world. Meanwhile, this Health Minister has dragged tobacco control back to the 70s – when smokes were cheap, there were no health warnings and smoking was sexy,” Mr Foukkare said.
“The government is presiding over a multibillion-dollar black market empire that is fuelling youth nicotine addiction at record levels.
“It’s time for the Minister to meet with those on the frontline of this fight and agree to pragmatic solutions that keep smoking rates low while driving criminals out of business.”
Dear reader, we need your support
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
This situation has intrigued me as I have noted cut-price tobacco vendors opening up their businesses in my local regional town.
I have watched as people go into these shops and buy illicit tobacco products quite openly and without fear of police prosecution.
The problem seems to be that the excise (tobacco tax) that is not being collected is a federal tax and as a result state police and state governments see any action as beyond their jurisdiction (i.e. no state crime has been committed) and the Federal Police and Australian Border Force don’t seem to have the resources to get on top of the traffic of this illicit product.
I think you will find that the federal minister is now providing funding to the AFP and ABF and the states giving them powers to close down outlets and penalise landlords as well as those smuggling in the illicit product.
It has taken the federal minister too long to get on top of this situation.
Reducing the excise is not the solution; you never give in to organised crime.
This has been a monumental stuff-up from Day 1.
Don’t get me started.