Press Releases

The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has welcomed Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s announcement today that businesses in the state will soon need a license to sell tobacco, after years of lobbying by the retail industry. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said he and over 1700 members were eager to work with the Victorian Government to get the licensing scheme on track and in place as soon as possible “AACS has been calling for a tobacco licensing scheme in Victoria for years now and we welcome Premier Allan’s announcement today. “We want to work side-by-side with the Victorian Government to help develop the scheme so that it suits both authorities and retailers. “It’s important that we sit down with the Victorian Government now to talk through the details, and we are very keen to be part of the working group that will help shape this important law. “The scheme must be…

The Australian Association of Convenience (AACS) has publicly released the most comprehensive survey report into Australian voter attitudes towards regulating nicotine vaping products. The results from the RedBridge Group survey commissioned by AACS in February reveal a damning assessment of the Albanese Government’s policy failure to regulate vaping products effectively. Key Findings: With 74 per cent of voters agreeing that treating nicotine vapes as a medicine sends the wrong signal to the community, these results serve as a stark warning for the Albanese Government that their impending vaping legislation is deeply unpopular with voters and extremely out of touch with community expectations, AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said. “As Australians battle against a cost-of-living crisis, Health Minister Mark Butler’s laws will cruelly hit the 13 per cent of adults – who are under the most financial stress with a tripling of costs when they are forced to pay $150 for a…

New research reveals Dunkley voters want action on Black Market Vaping Crisis. A new survey commissioned by the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has revealed Dunkley voters overwhelmingly want vaping products to be strictly regulated in the same way as alcohol and tobacco – and they’ll base their vote on it. The survey of 601 Dunkley voters conducted from February 9 -12 found: Summary results are available on the next page. An open invitation is provided to all Dunkleycandidates to receive a briefing from AACS on the full survey results. Theo Foukkare is available for interview on 0423 003 133

Small service station owners have renewed calls for the Federal Government to help them pay for the installation of fast chargers for electric vehicles (EV), as part of Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s plan to encourage more Australian motorists to buy an EV. Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said thousands of ‘Mum and Dad’ businesses want to install fast chargers, however most do not have the financial means to do so. “Our members want to get on board with this, but most don’t have access to half a million dollars to upgrade their electrical grids – and they need to do that to install fast chargers for EVs,” Mr Foukkare said. “We’d like to work with Mr Bowen and the Albanese Government to develop a fund that smaller servos can apply to, to help pay for the upgrade needed.” Mr Foukkare said governments at all levels had…

SYDNEY: The Australian Beverages Council, National Retail Association and the Australian Associationof Convenience Stores have rejected a call for a tax on soft drinks labelling it a misguided measure that won’t address obesity and hit those households that can least afford it the most. “The tax is a misguided attempt to address complex problems like obesity with a simplistic, quick fixthat lacks real world evidence it has any discernible impact on weight. Consumption of sugar from drinks in Australia has decreased significantly over a 20-year period at the same time obesity, overweight and diabetes rates have continued to rise. Clearly soft drinks aren’t driving the nation’s expanding waistline which makes this call for a tax illogical and clearly just a revenue raiser” said Geoff Parker, CEO of the Australian Beverages Council. “The last National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey in 2011-12 showed that soft drinks wereranked seventh in kilojoule contribution…