Public health advocate welcomes changes to enable stronger VIC action on illicit tobacco
Posted 9 Sept, 2026
Cancer Council Victoria, Quit, Stroke Foundation, Public Health Association Australia, Lung Foundation Australia, Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, Diabetes Victoria, Heart Foundation and Australian Medical Association Victoria welcome the introduction of the Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, which changes the Tobacco Act 1987 to further strengthen Victoria’s tobacco licensing scheme.
Quit Director, Rachael Andersen praised the important outcome.
“These latest amendments will considerably tighten the Tobacco Act to which changes were last introduced in late 2024. We now encourage Tobacco Licensing Victoria to exercise its new powers to close shops found to be doing the wrong thing,” Andersen said.
The changes also help bring Victoria in closer alignment with the progress achieved in other Australian jurisdictions cracking down on the illicit tobacco trade.
Under the new Victorian amendments:
- Tobacco Licensing Victoria and the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police can close shops caught selling illicit tobacco or operating without a tobacco licence for up to 90 days. Magistrates can issue orders to keep shops closed for longer.
- Landlords are empowered to end the lease of shops issued long term closure orders.
- Landlords can be held liable if they knowingly allow leased premises to be used for illicit tobacco trade.
- Businesses that continue to trade despite closure orders face penalties of up to $2.5 million for corporations and up to $501,840 for individuals or 20 years in jail.
- Tobacco Licensing Victoria will be more easily able to destroy seized illicit tobacco, avoiding costly storage fees.
In addition to the April Victorian Government announcement to increase the size of Tobacco Licensing Victoria’s inspection workforce, public health advocates are hopeful the Victorian community will see further resources devoted to enforcement to ensure a decrease of illegal sales of tobacco.
Public health advocates remain committed to pushing for further reforms to the Tobacco Act 1987, to ensure Tobacco Licensing Victoria can respond effectively to retailers who continue to flout the rules by illegally selling disposable vapes and other nicotine products, such as oral nicotine pouches—both of which are marketed to young and impressionable potential customers.
CEO Cancer Council Victoria, Todd Harper AM commented “The Victorian Government must take a zero-tolerance approach to the illicit trade, which continues to undermine the public health gains from Australia’s hard-fought tobacco control measures. There is still more work to do,” Harper said.
In addition to today’s progress in Victoria, Federal amendments under the Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026 passed in late August significantly increase the penalties for illicit tobacco related offences under customs, excise and taxation legislation at the national level. For some offences, maximum jail time has been increased from 2 to 7 years and from 10 to 15 years and maximum court-issued penalties upped from $182k to $1.82m and from $364k to $4.36m.
Most importantly, regardless of where it is bought, or how much it costs, smoking tobacco contributes to the deaths of 66 Australians a day. Free, personalised help to quit is available.
For support to quit nicotine visit quit.org.au or call 13 7848.
Organisations supporting this announcement:
