NSW Increasing Tobacco-Inspector Staff by 62% - Tobacco Reporter
New South Wales is increasing its tobacco inspector staff by 62% to combat illicit tobacco and vaping products.Summary
New South Wales (NSW), Australia, is significantly bolstering its tobacco enforcement capabilities by adding 30 full-time inspectors, increasing the team to 78. This expansion of the Centre for Regulation & Enforcement aims to address the growing issue of illicit tobacco and vaping products within the state. Since November 2025, when stricter laws were implemented, authorities have already closed 66 retailers and seized substantial quantities of illegal goods, including 560,000 cigarettes, 98 kilograms of illicit tobacco, and over 6,000 illegal vaping products, totaling approximately A$830,000 in value. The government is also pursuing further legislative changes, such as holding landlords accountable and imposing harsher penalties—including fines exceeding A$1.5 million and potential seven-year prison sentences—for large-scale illicit tobacco offenses. Officials attribute the demand for illegal products to high federal excise taxes and the emergence of new sales tactics, like those utilizing QR codes and social media.
(Source：Tobacco Reporter)
