Editor’s view: Time to curtail tobacco mayhem so business owners can trade without fear

We will not see the tobacco wars stop any time soon – not until profits do not outweigh penalties. But we can curtail the mayhem so legitimate store owners do not need to live in fear.

Police at the scene of a fire at a tobacco shop south of Brisbane in January. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Full credit to the Crisafulli government for taking real action to stamp out the state’s tobacco wars which have seen 16 arson attacks in a little over a year.

Instead of uttering tough but meaningless words, Health Minister Tim Nicholls has ratcheted up fines ten-fold, while police and Health Department raids have shut down allegedly unlicensed tobacconists from Mackay to Warwick and Rockhampton.

More than 130,000 illegal vapes and eight million cigarettes have been seized in recent months, a significantly better effort than under Labor.

It’s a great start but it’s clear it won’t be enough.

A co-ordinated, nationwide approach is the only way to contain this problem which has grown year-on-year since Covid lockdowns.

The dire situation in Victoria is a stark example of how much worse things could get here without co-operation across state boundaries from both the police and governments.

A recent investigation revealed the damage bill from tobacco shop arson attacks in Victoria now exceeds $70m, while organised crime gangs have moved in across Victoria and NSW.

Here in Queensland, police believe interstate and transnational criminal syndicates are now deeply involved in protection rackets.

Shop owners who refuse to sell illegal cigarettes, many of them manufactured in huge factories overseas at a fraction of the legitimate retail price, are forced to close or live under the fear of their shops being burned down.

Queensland police have set up Taskforce Masher to try to get ahead of the game. They not only want to investigate arsons, but prevent them and drive out the syndicates.

A lot of the heavy lifting is being done by Queensland Health officers who now have the power to impose fines of $32,260 for individuals and $161,300 for businesses.

Between July and February, they carried out more than 1215 inspections on suspect stores.

But there are still 350 stores on their “high risk” list.

The challenge is not going away any time soon, simply because the syndicates stand to make such large profits.

Law enforcement figures around Australia say the high federal government excise on tobacco has created a lucrative black market.

Illicit tobacco can be bought for as low as $9 a pack compared with $40-plus for a pack of “legitimate” cigarettes.

The federal budget revealed a sharp drop in revenue from legitimate tobacco sales. This financial year, it will make about $7.4bn – down from $12.6bn in 2022-23, and $16.3bn in 2019-20.

There is no question high prices have been one of the crucial factors in Australia’s world-leading campaign to cut smoking rates.

So, those profit margins for crims are here to stay.

Given that, penalties must match their mega profits, long-term resourcing must be thrown at the problem and governments and police must work together and work smarter.

We will not see these arsons stop any time soon – not until the profits do not outweigh the penalties. But we can curtail the mayhem so legitimate store owners do not need to live in fear of standover tactics.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Melanie Pilling, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at www.couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us

Originally published as Editor’s view: Time to curtail tobacco mayhem so business owners can trade without fear