Representatives of thousands of small businesses say stronger police enforcement powers, appropriate licensing of tobacco sales, and on the spot fines are key to addressing the booming ‘chop chop’ market. The leaders of three major national retail representative groups representing thousands of businesses across the country have today welcomed reports that the Victorian Government will review its tobacco regulation framework with a view to cracking down on the burgeoning black market, which is now worth billions of dollars and costs an estimated $800 million in lost taxation revenue across Australia. In a joint statement, the leaders of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), the Master Grocers Association (MGA), and the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) said any review must balance the urgent need for a crackdown on illegal tobacco sales through mechanisms such as a licencing scheme without creating unnecessary red tape for legitimate and law-abiding retailers. Reports…

The petrol and convenience sector in Australia are feeling the effects of the dramatic drop in international temporary visa holders and international students. Figures released by the ATO last week suggested that as a result of closed borders job vacancies within the retail trade had jumped 80% from 19000 to 35000 between February 2020 to May 2021. “The Petrol and Convenience sector have felt the full effects of labour shortages throughout the pandemic as we remained an essential service” said Theo Foukkare, the CEO of the Australian Associations of Convenience Stores. “Currently we have in excess of 10,000 vacancies within the sector, as the remainder of retail trade opens up in NSW and Victoria, the pressure for staffing will increase even further” Mr Foukkare added. A temporary relaxation of the student visa working hours cap of 40 hours per fortnight is currently in place for the aged care, NDIS providers,…

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) have approved eight testing kits to be sold at retail. Hough Pharma will be one of the main brands being supplied to the Petrol and Convenience Sector with leading independent operators along with major chains 7-Eleven, Ampol & Coles Express rolling them out throughout November. “The Petrol and Convenience sector, particularly independent groups have been pushing hard for testing kits to be made available as soon as possible” said Theo Foukkare, the CEO of the Australian Associations of Convenience Stores “Our sector has been operating throughout the pandemic and have seen firsthand the effects that a positive case can have on other staff who have had to isolate for a period of time, which ultimately flows on to disruption in business operations” Mr Foukkare added. The testing kits will retail in petrol and convenience stores for around $30 for a pack of two. The self…

Representatives of thousands of small businesses say penalties “clearly insufficient” after Victorian man fined just $1000 in illegal tobacco case Retail industry leaders have united to call for a renewed focus on laws to crack down on illicit tobacco after a Victorian court case in which a man who admitted to illegal possession and distribution of large amounts of illicit cigarettes was punished with a $1000 fine. The leaders of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), the Master Grocers Asso-ciation (MGA) and the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) said deterrents for participating in the booming tobacco black market were clearly insufficient. “Enough is enough. We know that hundreds of millions of dollars in federal tax revenue are being lost to the illegal tobacco trade, which supports other activities of criminal syndicates,” the associations said. “It also inflicts enormous costs on legitimate businesses who play important roles in their…

• Over-the-top new laws that make it illegal to buy nicotine vaping products in Australia without a GP prescription come into force on October 1 • Convenience store owners across the country are concerned about facing wide-spread confusion from the change • Industry body AACS calls for sensible, well-regulated sales of nicotine products in line with New Zealand and the United Kingdom The new Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulations on the sale of nicotine vaping and e-cigarette products begin on Friday October 1, with thousands of Australian retailers and hundreds-of-thousands of Australians likely unaware of what these changes mean. The new laws being rolled out by the Federal Government mean it will be illegal to purchase vaping or e-cigarette products in Australia without a valid prescription from a doctor. Australians who already use nicotine vaping or e-cigarette products will now be forced to sit in a waiting room, consult with…

The Tasmanian Government appears to have its head in the sand on the issue of nicotine vaping and e-cigarettes, by simply advising the retailers there is nothing changing, when the new Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulations for the sale of nicotine vaping products, comes into play on the 1st of October the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) said today. “Yesterday’s statements by the Health Minister were disappointing in the extreme”, AACS, CEO Theo Foukkare said. “There are thousands of Tasmanians currently using nicotine e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes who will need to get a prescription from 1st October. “However, the Tasmanian Government appears to be doing everything they can to prevent this from happening by unfairly demonising the product, meaning there will be some very frustrated vapers at the start of next month. “The Tasmanian Health Department have had the opportunity to separate regulations under…