Tuesday, 22 September 2026

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:35): (1489) My question is to the Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation. Minister, Queensland’s closure powers shut 148 illegal tobacco stores in their first 10 days of operation. Victoria’s powers, which the government now describe as the toughest in the country, have produced 22 closures over the same period. Minister, if we have the toughest laws, why has Victoria closed fewer than one-sixth of the number of shops Queensland has with comparable powers over the same period?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Finance, Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Government Services) (14:36): I thank Mr Mulholland for his question and his interest in our illegal tobacco closure powers. My apologies – I have a scratchy voice, but in the interests of Parliament I will endeavour to answer this question, because it is an important one of public interest and one that I am very passionate about. Mr Mulholland, I am proud of the work that we have done as a government. We have established the first-ever tobacco regulator in our state’s history, and now it is harder to sell and harder to profit from illegal tobacco and easier to close down illegal tobacco stores. What we do know is since Queensland first introduced those closure powers we have adopted a similar approach, and 22 stores have been closed. Anecdotally, what we hear is that many other stores have closed because the business model is changing. They know that closures are happening, that arrests are being made, and as such they are closing. Anecdotally, they are closing stores in advance of being raided by police and by Tobacco Licensing Victoria. But we are always willing to do more, and there are cross-border operations afoot, which I obviously cannot disclose for operational reasons.

Evan Mulholland: On a point of order, President, on relevance, my question went to why Victoria has closed fewer than one-sixth of the stores that Queensland has closed, and the minister should come back to that question.

The PRESIDENT: The minister was being relevant.

Enver ERDOGAN: I think what we will see is that 22 is a strong start. We will continue to see further closures in the coming days, but I will not be revealing operations that are being planned. We are part of a national operation group between jurisdictions that involves Tobacco Licensing Victoria, and there is a lot of considerable work being done by federal agencies and Victoria Police, which I will not be disclosing in the chamber.

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:38): My goodness. Minister, with as many as 10,000 tobacco retailers operating in Victoria and a recent investigation finding that 84 per cent of stores checked were selling illicit tobacco or vapes, how long will it take for the Victorian government to shut the thousands of illicit tobacco stores currently operating in plain sight across the state?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Finance, Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Government Services) (14:38): I thank Mr Mulholland for his supplementary question. Mr Mulholland, you know that this is a complex issue that requires a national approach. We know that we are seeing the proliferation of illegal tobacco across jurisdictions, across borders, and in fact there is a multinational element to this crime, and it is having a devastating effect. It is not a victimless crime. We are determined to protect legitimate businesses and make sure that there are tough penalties for those breaking the rules. That is why I have introduced penalties that lead to prison sentences of up to 15 years and fines of over $1 million for those doing the wrong activity. We will continue to cooperate with Commonwealth agencies and across jurisdictions and take the tough action needed to target these criminal organisations. Tobacco Licensing Victoria is doing its bit, but we know there are multiple approaches and multiple angles. We will not stop; we will do more if needed.