Latest news with #EzyMart
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Grisly discovery on Collins Street sparks urgent police probe
The discovery of a body on an iconic street in Melbourne 's CBD has sparked an urgent police investigation. Officers cordoned off Collins Street from the public about 4.15am on Saturday after the body, which is yet to be identified, was found outside an EzyMart. 'The circumstances surrounding the death of the person, who remains unidentified, are unclear,' a police spokesman said. More to come.
Sydney Morning Herald
05-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Police don't know how many shops are selling illegal tobacco
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley has warned that law enforcement officers cannot be expected to regulate the ballooning tobacco black market and conceded it was not clear how many tobacconist retailers would sign up to a new licensing scheme designed to combat the problem. After Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday ruled out scaling back the tax on tobacco – which has rocketed from 26 cents per cigarette in 2010 to $1.37 in September 2024 – the debate has shifted to who should take on greater responsibility for tackling the explosion of illicit products. Catley on Thursday downplayed the idea that police should take over from NSW Health to enforce compliance, despite Premier Chris Minns earlier this week raising the prospect of handing officers a greater role in tackling black market tobacco. 'Police aren't regulators, and there's no question about that. They are not regulators. The police are out there catching crooks, and that's what we want them to do,' Catley said. Earlier this week, Minns ignited a conversation over whether the federal government's 'massive' excise on tobacco should be reduced as a means of combatting the explosion of illegal tobacco and vapes across Australia, with the lucrative trade providing a rich vein of revenue for criminal organisations. Loading But with NSW Health and the existing regulatory framework failing to stem the number of shops selling illicit tobacco, Catley said the introduction of a licensing scheme from July 1 would give the government a better understanding of 'how many shops are turning up' and 'where they are'. Police thought there might be about 6000 to 8000 tobacco retailers, but that was 'anecdotal', Catley said. Oversight of the current retail identification number (RIN) required to sell tobacco products was poor, senior government sources said, with little punishment for failing to register under the scheme. On Thursday, the store manager of an EzyMart near Martin Place in Sydney's CBD told the Herald he was aware of the new licensing scheme, saying: 'Of course, all the shops have to be signed up.'
The Age
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
Police don't know how many shops are selling illegal tobacco
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley has warned that law enforcement officers cannot be expected to regulate the ballooning tobacco black market and conceded it was not clear how many tobacconist retailers would sign up to a new licensing scheme designed to combat the problem. After Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday ruled out scaling back the tax on tobacco – which has rocketed from 26 cents per cigarette in 2010 to $1.37 in September 2024 – the debate has shifted to who should take on greater responsibility for tackling the explosion of illicit products. Catley on Thursday downplayed the idea that police should take over from NSW Health to enforce compliance, despite Premier Chris Minns earlier this week raising the prospect of handing officers a greater role in tackling black market tobacco. 'Police aren't regulators, and there's no question about that. They are not regulators. The police are out there catching crooks, and that's what we want them to do,' Catley said. Earlier this week, Minns ignited a conversation over whether the federal government's 'massive' excise on tobacco should be reduced as a means of combatting the explosion of illegal tobacco and vapes across Australia, with the lucrative trade providing a rich vein of revenue for criminal organisations. Loading But with NSW Health and the existing regulatory framework failing to stem the number of shops selling illicit tobacco, Catley said the introduction of a licensing scheme from July 1 would give the government a better understanding of 'how many shops are turning up' and 'where they are'. Police thought there might be about 6000 to 8000 tobacco retailers, but that was 'anecdotal', Catley said. Oversight of the current retail identification number (RIN) required to sell tobacco products was poor, senior government sources said, with little punishment for failing to register under the scheme. On Thursday, the store manager of an EzyMart near Martin Place in Sydney's CBD told the Herald he was aware of the new licensing scheme, saying: 'Of course, all the shops have to be signed up.'
