Roger Cook warns ‘tobacco thugs’ and promises new laws on day one of State Parliament

Roger Cook has vowed to shut shops for up to 90 days to stop tobacco “thugs” and will introduce new legislation on Tuesday, after being repeatedly accused of inaction over Perth’s growing black market trade. The Cook Government has been under mounting pressure over the slow pace of reforms, after a string of summer fire-bombings and robberies were linked to the illicit trade of cheap cigarettes and vapes. “Keeping Western Australians safe is my government’s priority,” the Premier said. “New legislation being introduced this week will help crush the dangerous illegal tobacco and vape trade and drive criminals out of business.” The West Australian can reveal amendments to the Tobacco Products Control Act will include the toughest penalties in Australia, with the maximum for possession of a large quantity of illicit tobacco set to increase to $4.2 million for an individual, or $21 million for a company, and up to 15 years in prison. Same-day store closure orders of 72 hours will require ‘reasonable suspicion”, while the WA Health Director-General will need to approve any orders to shut a shop for up to 90 days while police investigate. Police Commissioner Col Blanch requested the new powers in August last year. South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland have since passed similar laws. By November last year, SA had hit 100 tobacco shops with 28-day closure orders. In a 10-day blitz in December, Queensland’s Government said it had closed 148 stores. While in NSW, there are currently 74 retailers named and shamed on a public register of premises subject to a closure order of up to three months. It’s become a sore point for the Cook Government, as the Opposition demanded legislation be introduced on day one when Parliament returns this week. Mr Cook will announce the new legislation on Monday, but denied his Government has failed to act before now. “The changes are in addition to a range of new measures, including our newly expanded compliance unit which has already seen an increase in seizures of illicit products,” he said. “Our Government is committed to continuing to update tobacco control legislation to protect Western Australians from these harmful products and to strengthen enforcement measures.” A senior police officer was tapped in January to head up WA Health’s tobacco compliance unit and step-up raids, alongside police taskforce “Maverick” that is targeting organised crime groups which are funding the illegal trade. Police have reported new truckloads of illicit stock arriving within hours to replace seized cigarettes. Shops have re-opened within hours of arson attacks and even continued to sell illegal products as TV crews filmed outside. Neighbouring businesses were helpless as their shops became collateral damage of a turf war in Perth, Bunbury and York. “Over the summer we saw multiple businesses targeted by organised crime networks and police are doing everything they can to bring them down,” Police Minister Reece Whitby said. “The Western Australian Police force, through Taskforce Maverick continue to make impressive gains against serious and organised crime groups. “Police have seen the impact of the illicit tobacco trade, and these tougher laws will help disrupt this criminal activity. “These new laws that will give both the Department of Health and WA Police additional powers to shut down illegal shops and increase penalties for those who break the law.” Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas questioned where the promised tobacco reforms were as recently as Sunday, after the Government announced new protest laws. “We’re told today that that will be introduced on Tuesday, I can only hope that the Health Minister will be ready to go with the legislation that has been promised for so long, tough new laws that stamp out the sale of illegal tobacco and vaping products,” he said. “How many fire bombings in the suburbs do we have to see for this State Government to step up? “Every other State has it”. Health Minister Meredith Hammat previously told Parliament it was “fanciful” to expect the legislation by October last year. In January, Mr Cook told reporters the drafting process was in the “advanced stages” but insisted it was “complex” after former Labor Premier Peter Dowding urged the Government to copy NSW. “I simply can’t understand the pace of it,” Mr Dowding told The West. Ms Hammat said WA has learned from the other States. Tougher penalties and shop closure orders will form tranche one of new laws, while a second tranche will tighten tobacco licence requirements by the end of the year. “We’ve looked at what is working in other jurisdictions, and how we can replicate and expand on that,” Ms Hammat said. “Our changes will significantly strengthen enforcement now and enable a strong State-wide response from WA Health’s expanded Tobacco and Vape Compliance Unit. “We’re prioritising community safety now with these new laws, and I look forward to introducing further measures focused on public health, licensing and administrative matters in the second tranche of amendments later this year.” The Comanchero bikie gang was linked to WA’s escalating tobacco wars last week, when a nominee was charged over a threat to firebomb a Rockingham convenience store. The owner of a Kelmscott convenience store that went up in flames last week admitted he failed to take police warnings seriously, after being targeted by tobacco rivals. “I’m going to be happy if they catch them, because we have to stop this — It’s really, really scary,” Ahmed Jarrar said. “It took a long time for me, maybe more than six months to (start the business), and I got a loan from my family, my friends, and I’m really in trouble now.” Seven people were charged in January over raids in the State’s south-west that netted more than 70,000 cigarettes and vapes and almost $90,000 cash. But the number of inspections by the Health Department’s tobacco compliance team fell from 1940 in 2021 to 904 in 2025. A report by the Australian Council on Smoking and Health in October found that half of Perth’s tobacco stores were selling illegal products, either openly or under the counter. Some were selling packets of cigarettes for as little as $15 to bypass tobacco tax. Of the 103 stores they surveyed, 80 per cent were operating within 1km of a school. None of the stores asked for proof of age.