Tuesday, 17 March 2026

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:11): I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is cracking down on the illicit tobacco trade and keeping Victorians safe. Illicit tobacco fuels organised crime, puts communities at risk and undermines legitimate businesses – many family-owned businesses that are doing the right thing. That is why the Allan Labor government introduced Victoria’s first-ever tobacco licensing scheme, and under this scheme anyone who wants to legally sell tobacco in Victoria must hold a licence and be a fit and proper person. The results of –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Reset the clock.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Unless the minister is being provocative, we will just start again and start again and start again if it keeps going. Start again, and you might be starting again soon – see how you go.

Enver ERDOGAN: Today I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is cracking down on the illicit tobacco trade and keeping Victorians safe.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Reset the clock. Start again.

Enver ERDOGAN: I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is cracking down on illicit tobacco and keeping Victorians safe.

A member interjected.

The PRESIDENT: You are going to get booted if you do it again. Start again.

Enver ERDOGAN: I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is cracking down on illicit tobacco and keeping Victorians safe. Illicit tobacco fuels organised crime, puts communities at risk and undermines legitimate retailers, including many family-owned businesses that are doing the right thing. That is why the Allan Labor government introduced Victoria’s first-ever tobacco licensing scheme. Under this scheme anyone who wants to sell tobacco legally must hold a licence and pass a fit and proper person test, and it is already delivering results. In the first month alone, Tobacco Licensing Victoria inspectors have been on the ground, and the results themselves speak volumes: $5 million worth of illegal tobacco products off our streets. That includes more than 3 million cigarettes, 2243 cigars, 40 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco and more than 32 kilograms of shisha tobacco.

But we know that this is a national challenge and it continues to evolve, and that is why we have been clear that if further powers were needed, we would act. That is why Labor will introduce closure powers to allow businesses caught selling illicit tobacco to be shut down, with short-term closure powers of up to 90 days for the regulator and Victoria Police and indefinite closure powers for the courts. These reforms will also hold landlords to account if they knowingly overlook illicit tobacco being sold from their premises, whilst also empowering them to terminate leases and kick out illegal operators. We are ensuring that Victoria continues to have the toughest tobacco laws in the country, making illegal tobacco harder to sell, harder to profit from and easier to shut down, because when new challenges emerge, only Labor delivers the new ideas and policies to protect community safety and back in Victorian small businesses.