When presented with the results, a Victorian government spokesperson said they urged the commonwealth to do more. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile this is a national issue, we\u2019re taking strong action in Victoria through our inspectors seizing more than $9 million in illicit products and store closure powers,\u201d the spokesperson told The Australian. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to urge the commonwealth to look at the rise of illicit tobacco and the link to the excise, and act on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The polling of 2014 Victorians showed half of the voters blame the Victorian and Albanese Labor governments for the explosion in the black market<\/a>. <\/p>\n More than three-quarters (76 per cent) believe excessive federal excise encourages consumers to look for illegal alternatives. <\/p>\n On fiscal policy, 49 per cent of respondents want tobacco taxes lowered.<\/p>\n Overall, 66 per cent of voters believe illegal tobacco has made Melbourne less safe, 49 per cent say it has degraded their local community, and 54 per cent believe the unregulated trade makes it easier for children to buy cigarettes.<\/p>\n In Victoria, legislation to close shops found to be selling illicit tobacco is still before the Parliament.<\/p>\n AACS CEO Theo Foukkare<\/a> described the results as a damning verdict on federal tobacco policy and called on Mr Carroll to join his NSW and Tasmanian counterparts in pressuring the federal government to change course on tobacco excise.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a wake-up call for the federal government. Melbourne voters now see high tobacco taxes as a driver of the black market, not a solution to it,\u201d Mr Foukkare said.<\/p>\n \u201cMelburnians understand what Canberra won\u2019t admit: price people out of the legal market, and they will turn to criminals instead.<\/p>\n \u201cRather than reducing smoking rates, it\u2019s handing billions to organised crime while legitimate retailers face firebombings and violence.<\/p>\n \u201cAACS has been sounding the alarm for years. Now Melbourne voters are confirming what we\u2019ve warned. This policy is failing consumers, failing businesses, and failing communities.<\/p>\n \u201c[NSW] Premier Minns has shown leadership by acknowledging that current excise is driving illegal tobacco sales. Premier Carroll should now stand up for Victorian communities facing the same crisis. Melbourne voters have made their views clear. The Victorian government must add its voice and demand federal action.\u201d<\/p>\n For the Jess Wilson-led state Liberal Party, the crisis offers a clear opening to reinforce the party\u2019s traditional strength of law and order issues.<\/p>\n Voters view the Liberals as significantly better equipped than Labor to tackle crime, safeguard neighbourhoods, and combat black-market tobacco networks.<\/p>\n That perception spells serious trouble for Labor, as the public increasingly interprets the illicit trade through the lens of community safety \u2013 an area where the Liberals already command far greater voter trust, according to the survey.<\/p>\n Monash Liberal MP Mary Aldred, who is co-chair of the federal opposition\u2019s Illegal Tobacco Taskforce, said the Victorian government\u2019s backflip was a \u201cdeathbed conversion on the eve of the ballot\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a desperate attempt to gloss over years of failure,\u201d Ms Aldred told The Australian.<\/p>\n \u201cVictorians deserved leadership when the first firebombings took place in 2023, not a craven attempt to save the furniture at the state election.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Aldred also said the Albanese government had become \u201cmore isolated\u201d and claimed they had failed to \u201cadmit when they have got the policy settings wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen even their state counterparts in NSW and now Victoria are advocating for a serious rethink on tobacco tax, it\u2019s time to get real and stop pretending that more of the same is going to give us a different result,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Firebombings and arson attacks emerged as the single most concerning issue tested in the survey, which generated a net concern score of 71. <\/p>\n Organised crime groups making money from illegal tobacco followed closely behind with a net concern score of 61. <\/p>\n Both issues comfortably outpace concern about illegal tobacco sales themselves.<\/p>\n Voters also appear less concerned about the existence of illegal tobacco than they are about the consequences of the illegal tobacco trade<\/a>. The strongest reactions are directed towards violence, organised crime<\/a> and the broader impacts associated with the market rather than the products themselves.<\/p>\n The Victorian government was identified as the most responsible, by 26 per cent of concerned voters, closely followed by the federal government on 24 per cent. Together, state and federal governments account for half of all blame attributed for the growth of illegal tobacco.<\/p>\n Mohammad Alfares is a journalist based in the Melbourne bureau of The Australian, where he covers breaking news, politics, legal affairs, and religious issues. He began filming and editing homemade ‘productions’ as a child \u2014 an early sign of his future in journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Communication from Massey University in New Zealand and began his career in broadcast news before transitioning to print. Outside the newsroom, Mohammad is an avid fisherman and adrenaline-seeker. When he\u2019s not chasing a big catch, he enjoys unwinding with a good coffee, fresh air, and a ride on his motorbike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Victorian government has pleaded for a review into the federal tobacco excise following a \u201cdamning\u201d survey 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<\/a>Mohammad Alfares<\/a>Journalist<\/p>\n