Aldred named co-chair of illegal tobacco taskforce after Inverloch vape raid

Federal Member for Monash Mary Aldred has been appointed Deputy Opposition Whip and co-chair of the Coalition's new Illegal Tobacco Taskforce, weeks after telling parliament an illegal vape store in Inverloch was still selling to children despite a federal raid.

New Opposition Leader Angus Taylor announced the appointments on Wednesday after defeating Sussan Ley 34-17 in a Liberal Party leadership spill.

Ms Aldred will co-chair the taskforce alongside Senator Richard Colbeck.

She said she was delighted to take up both roles, with the taskforce position building directly on her work over recent months.

The role formalises months of advocacy that began after a ram-raid on a grocery store in her electorate first drew her attention to the illicit tobacco trade.

"Since the ram-raid of a local grocery store in my electorate of Monash, I've taken up the issue of illegal tobacco and the impact it is having on communities across Australia," Ms Aldred said.

"From Inverloch to Longwarry, local people have been raising with me their concern about the impact on children being sold vapes, retail staff being assaulted and the increase in people being driven to the black market to buy illegal cigarettes because of the excessively high tobacco excise tax."

The Sentinel-Times reported earlier this month that TGA officers and Victoria Police raided a pop-up vape store in Inverloch in late January, seizing hundreds of vapes over allegations it was selling illicit products to minors.

Despite the raid the store remained open, prompting Ms Aldred to raise the matter in parliament.

"While the TGA continues to consider what to do next, the outlet remains open for business," Ms Aldred told parliament at the time.

She said organised crime cartels were driving the illicit tobacco and vaping trade across Australia, terrorising small business owners and costing the tax office billions.

More than 200 tobacco shops have been firebombed since 2023 and the retail industry estimates it has lost $2 billion in legal sales to the illegal trade over the past four years.

Australian Border Force seized more than 467 tonnes of cigarettes and tobacco in the final quarter of last year alone.

"The black market cigarettes and vapes would have been worth more than $1 billion in evaded excise that would have gone towards funding roads, schools and hospitals," Ms Aldred said.

Ms Aldred said the proceeds of the illicit trade were also funding organised crime and suspected terrorist activities, compounding the risk to community safety.

She said enforcement was failing to keep pace with the problem, pointing to a new Victorian licensing scheme that put just 14 inspectors in charge of the entire state.

"The 14 inspectors from the Tobacco Licensing Victoria Agency are expected to cover the entire state to dish out fines but not shut down illegal shops," she said.

Ms Aldred said both state and federal governments had failed to act on the crisis.

"State and federal Labor governments have their head in the sand on this issue and I'm pleased to have been asked to take on this role to help develop the Coalition's policy response," she said.

The Inverloch vape store remains under investigation by the TGA.