They’re popping up seemingly overnight across the Beaches – but there’s one new tobacconist in particular that has sparked concern and spurred our local leaders into taking action…
For every McDonald’s, there are now 60 tobacconists across NSW. There are 15 in Manly alone.
But it’s one that has popped up within metres of a local public school that has angered local parents and caught the attention of Manly MP, James Griffin, who has launched a petition calling for change.
“Any reasonable person would say that having a vape shop 10 metres away from a primary school is just completely unacceptable,” James told Northern Beaches Living.
“My campaign to stop the proliferation of tobacconists isn’t a reflection or a judgement on vaping. I personally don’t mind if that’s something that someone over the age of 18 wants to do, but what I do take issue with is the location of the stores that are selling them.”
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So, is the proximity of tobacconists near our local schools a coincidence – or is it a strategic move to target our children?
Many of these ‘convenience’ stores look identical. The anonymous black and red branding that doesn’t belong to any recognisable chain. The bare, clinical interiors. The limited groceries gathering dust on sparse shelves. But front and centre are the brightly coloured sweets and American confectionery like Takis, Twinkies, Nerds, and Prime energy drinks, drawing kids in who might also buy vapes. And it’s working.
An Australian schools survey by the Cancer Council found vaping is on the increase, with 13 per cent of teens aged between 12-15 admitting to vaping in the last month, and 22 per cent of 16 to 17-year-olds vaping in the last month.
According to James, besides targeting children, some of these stores could also allegedly be selling black market cigarettes, vapes, other drugs and are being used by criminal operations to launder money.
“What’s happening is that organised crime groups are using these shops as a front to sell cigarettes that have escaped tax,” James explains. “They’re importing cigarettes from overseas on the black market, then selling them either individually or in packets under the counter as a way of generating proceeds and also laundering money, frankly.”
Where legitimate cigarettes cost around $60 per pack and are hidden from view with health warnings, these black market operations sell them for a fraction of the price. “You get a slippery slope where what they’re actually selling goes well beyond what you see in the shop, such as illegal tobacco products, illegal vapes, and in some circumstances, could be drugs as well.”
The penalties on paper are severe, with up to seven years in prison and fines of $1.54 million for selling illegal vapes. Yet clearly, this isn’t deterring anyone. James points to a critical enforcement gap.
“For some of these operations, those fines are just the cost of doing business,” he says. “The problem is the lack of enforcement. On one hand, it’s a NSW Health issue so health officers are meant to be enforcing it, on the other hand there’s criminality so it’s NSW Police, and then in the middle you’ve got Council and Liquor & Gaming.”
The result? Organised crime groups have recognised that no one’s dealing with it, and as James puts it, “they’re getting away with it”. A smoke screen that has, until now, gone largely unchallenged.
Seaforth Public School’s response
Seaforth Public School’s P&C President Kevin Bone has been fielding concerns from distressed parents about the tobacconist that opened near their children’s school.
“Over the last few weeks, the P&C has heard from several parents and members of the community regarding the new tobacconist that has recently opened near the school,” Kevin told the school community in a recent newsletter.
“The proximity to the school is inappropriate, the signage promoting tobacco and therefore smoking is too overt, and there are too many of this type of store popping up in the local area.”
At the nearby Sydney Road shops in Seaforth, there are three additional convenience stores: an IGA Local Grocer, Westeros Convenience store, and Adel’s Convenience store all within a short walk from each other. Which begs the question, how much convenience does one suburb need?
The momentum around the issue has been building rapidly. Just this week, Northern Beaches Council passed a motion calling for reforms to allow councils to apply tougher restrictions regarding planning applications for tobacconists. Meanwhile, a Parliamentary inquiry into the link between tobacconists and organised crime is now underway.
Back at Seaforth Public, the P&C is actively encouraging the school and local community to sign James Griffin’s petition and make submissions to the parliamentary inquiry before the deadline (see links for both at the end of this article).
Council calls for action
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins has echoed community concerns, acknowledging the regulatory gap that allows these operations to go unchecked.
“Our community is concerned about the sudden proliferation of tobacco shops across the Northern Beaches, and especially in the vicinity of schools,” Mayor Heins told Northern Beaches Living.
“Given tobacco shops are defined as retail premises, they can be opened in most cases without the approval of council and there are no planning rules to restrict their locations or proliferation.”
This means these controversial shops can set up metres from schools without any community consultation or council oversight. It’s a planning loophole that criminal enterprises may be exploiting.
“We call on the NSW Government to require such businesses to be subject to a DA (Development Application) process so the suitability of locations can be better assessed, their potential harm minimised and to step up efforts to stamp out any illegal activity associated with these types of businesses,” Mayor Heins said.
Parliamentary response
The issue has reached State Parliament, with Independent Member for Wakehurst Michael Regan announcing the NSW parliamentary inquiry into vape shops and the illegal tobacco trade has begun accepting submissions until July 19th. The inquiry will examine links to organised crime and money laundering, impacts on local communities, and whether existing enforcement responses are adequate.
In Federal Parliament, local member Dr Sophie Scamps has also raised concerns about the health implications, particularly for young people.
”As a doctor, I am alarmed at the prospect of Australians once again having the wool pulled over our eyes by the tobacco industry, as they now prey on our children via the portal of e-cigarettes,” she told Parliament.
Dr Scamps highlighted that a single disposable vape can contain as much nicotine as 150 traditional cigarettes and cost as little as $5, with bright packaging and “lollipop flavours” targeting young people. “Research shows that vaping is the strongest risk factor for smoking, and half of NSW kids who regularly consume e-cigarettes had never smoked before, so rather than being a smoking cessation tool, for young people e-cigarettes are actually a gateway drug.”
The campaign against tobacconists
James’s campaign video on Instagram highlighting the issue garnered 11,000 views in 48 hours, and his petition quickly received over 1,000 signatures.
With 17,000 people across the Manly electorate and at least 15 of these outlets, James argues the maths simply don’t add up for legitimate demand. “You can’t tell me we need 15 outlets for people buying vapes, something doesn’t stack up.”
The solution, according to James, is treating tobacconists like brothels and other premises that require development consent from the local council and registration with the Business Licensing Authority (BLA). A process which effectively bans them from operating within certain distances of schools and other inappropriate locations.
What you can do
If you’re concerned about the proliferation of tobacconist shops near our schools and in our communities, now is the time to add your voice. Sign James Griffin’s petition calling for planning law reforms and stricter controls. The more community support the petition receives, the stronger the case becomes for urgent government action. Every signature counts: https://form.123formbuilder.com/6855846/tobacco-stores-enough-is-enough
You can also make a submission to the parliamentary inquiry before the 19th July deadline here.
