Victorian tobacco licensing scheme will have 14 officers to patrol the state, same number as Tasmania

Victoria is ground zero in the war over illegal tobacco which has now spread interstate. The Allan-government’s new licensing scheme will have 14 officers to patrol the entire state, the same number as Tasmania.

The Victorian tobacco licensing scheme will have just 14 officers to patrol the entire state of Victoria, which is the equivalent size of Great Britain.

Jacinta Allan’s government will on Wednesday release new details about the state’s licensing scheme, declaring it will deliver “boots on the ground” enforcement from February 2026.

The 14 officers to be rolled out in Victoria is the same number doing the job in Tasmania.

Inspectors also won’t be able to close down a shop caught selling illicit tobacco.

Under the new model tobacco businesses will need a license to sell cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products.

The initial fee for a 17-month licence will be $1,176 — to save businesses applying twice in the same year — and then $830 per year there after, which has been welcomed by industry groups.

A media release, seen by the Herald Sun, states Victoria Police’s “search powers will be beefed up to make it easier and quicker to raid,” but gives no context as to what this means.

Under the licensing scheme, any person found to be selling illicit tobacco could face fines of up to $355,000 or up to 15 years in prison.

Businesses could face fines up to $1.7m.

Victoria Police has arrested more than 130 offenders and seized more than $37m in cash, vapes and illegal tobacco products.

Tobacco stores have been regularly firebombed in Victoria. Picture: Valeriu Campan

“Backed by more than $46 million in the Victorian Budget 2025-26 – 14 licensing inspectors from the new regulator Tobacco Licensing Victoria will hit the streets to hold illegal operators to account,” Police Minister Anthony Carbines said in the press release.

“This will back the work of Victoria Police who are coming after crime lords. If you are doing the wrong thing and dealing in illegal tobacco, you will get caught and you will face the toughest penalties in Australia.”

Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Minister Enver Erdogan, added: “Our scheme has the toughest penalties in the country – to disrupt organised crime and support Victoria Police with intelligence gathering.”

At the same time that Jacinta Allan’s government confirmed that 14 officers will enforce the tobacco licence scheme in Victoria – starting in eight months time – South Australia revealed it was adding a further 16 officers to its already working 22 dedicated employees.

A High Street, Preston tobacco shop was ravaged by flames. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“So let me get this right, South Australia will have more than double the officers Victoria has starting in February 2026, but way less than one third of the population to police?” an industry source said.

“That makes logical sense doesn’t it,” they quipped.

South Australia also has the power to shut down a business if it suspects illicit tobacco products or vapes are being sold or supplied at the site.

The order can close a business for 72 hours with a magistrate able to make longer term orders of up to six months.

South Australia has issued 36 short-term closure orders and had two long-term closure orders approved by a magistrate court.

Victoria has no closure powers in place.

It was also revealed in the Victorian state budget that the tobacco enforcement agency had an aim of carrying out 500 inspections per year – less than 1.5 a day if they worked every day of the year.

A tobacco shop in Chapel St South Yarra was firebombed in January. Picture: David Crosling

“When this scheme was finally announced late last year, the then minister in charge Melissa Horne estimated there were 10,000 shops selling tobacco,” the industry source said.

“So by that calculation, it will take them 20 years to visit each store, once.

“That’s not ‘tough’ enforcement. It’s a joke.”

Australian Association of Convenience Stores chief executive Theo Foukkare said while he was grateful the state government had acted, he said the number of officers was not enough.

Mr Foukkare said he would continue talking with the government with the hope they align themselves to South Australia’s policy.

“14 officers is not going to be enough to tackle this,” he told the Herald Sun.

“We hope they continue to listen and take on board the strong position being shown in other states, in particular South Australia, with the number of officers allocated.

“We urge the government to look at increasing the number of officials tasked as a priority.

“The government is listening and we hope they can act on that to have the strongest laws in the country.”

The man tasked with leading the operation “thinks” the 14 officers will be split into “teams”, meaning just seven groups of officers could patrol the 1200-plus stores.

Labor MP Enver Erdogan, the minister responsible for tobacco regulation, also appeared to join NSW Premier Chris Minns in calling on the federal government to act further.

“I think there will be teams, I think the size of those teams and the make-up will be on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

“This issue is not unique to Victoria, and it does require a national approach.

“In Victoria, we’re doing our bit, but there’s definitely a role for the Commonwealth to play.

“There’s multiple factors for the growth of the illicit trade and the Commonwealth is one part of that.”

Mr Erdogan said the state didn’t adopt a similar policy to that of South Australia’s as Victoria’s penalties would already be a deterrent.

“Closure matters are a slightly different matter,” he added.

“In the end, the fines are there to deter and hold people to account.”

Opposition Leader Brad Battin slammed the state government for bringing in “parking ticket officers” to fix a an issue plagued by “massive crime and corruption”.

“No person in the world would think 14 is enough for across the entire state,” he said.

“When you’re talking about bikies … organised crime gangs, you can’t send the parking ticket officers.

“You’ve got to send Victoria Police to fix this issue, and that means intervention earlier.”

Originally published as Victorian tobacco licensing scheme will have 14 officers to patrol the state, same number as Tasmania