For years, state and federal Labor governments have talked tough on illicit tobacco. For years, the black market has kept growing, and the firebombings have kept coming.
The Carroll Labor Government has claimed this week that the doors are closing on Victoria’s illicit tobacco trade, promising fines of up to $2.5 million and 20 years jail for businesses that ignore closure orders.
Shadow Minister for Liquor and Gaming, Tim McCurdy, said Victorians had heard this rhetoric before, and had watched it fail every single time.
“We’ve had press conferences, taskforces and tough press releases from state and federal Labor for years now, and the black market is as bad as it has ever been,” Mr McCurdy said.
“If there is another firebombing tomorrow, or next week, that will just be further proof that all of this talk has achieved nothing.
“Victorians don’t want more grandstanding statements, they want the firebombings to stop and the streets to be safe. Every time another shop goes up in flames, it shows that Labor’s words carry no weight with organised crime.”
Mr McCurdy, said the pattern was now impossible to ignore.
“Labor governments, state and federal, have been saying the same thing for years. They’re taking this seriously, they’re cracking down, they’re closing the net,” Mr McCurdy said.
“Meanwhile organised crime gangs are firebombing their way across our state almost daily, and nothing changes. That is not a crackdown, that is a government talking while criminals act.
“Labor has had years and countless opportunities to fix this, and the crisis has only gotten worse.
“It’s time for the Carroll Labor Government to match its words with action, or admit it has lost control of the tobacco black market altogether.
“An elected Liberal and Nationals Government will bolster laws, put more inspectors on the beat and close down retailers who break the law, so Victorians are not left waiting for the next firebombing to prove a point that everyone can already see.”
