Pressure grows over WA tobacco shop laws in wake of Bunbury firebombing
Updated ,first published
Pressure is mounting on the WA government to introduce legislation that would give police powers to shut down illegal tobacco stores as fears grow that rival supplier wars are now spreading across the South West.
Police were called to an incident on Spencer Street in Bunbury on Sunday morning after a suspected firebomb destroyed a convenience store and several nearby businesses.
Amy Howes, owner of Allure Beauty & Co, told 9News Perth He believed that the real target of the arson was the convenience store next door, which was believed to sell illegal e-cigarettes and tobacco.
His shop and the neighboring dentist and pizza shop were destroyed in the fire.
“We knew we would suffer collateral damage if things escalated because of how close we were to each other, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect it to be this bad,” he said.
“It’s shutting down our livelihood. The dentist has been here for 32 years, we’ve been here for 3 years.”
“The destruction there is truly insane and it won’t be salvageable, we’ll literally be starting from scratch.”
Howe said in the past, the beauty shop has been broken into through a manhole and criminals have mistaken his store for a convenience store. He also said the convenience store had been attacked before because he feared criminal activity was being fueled by WA’s growing tobacco wars.
The state government is currently working on reforms to strengthen tobacco laws; Penalties for the illegal sale of tobacco or e-cigarettes in WA remain among the weakest in the country.
Opposition police spokesman Adam Hort said the issue should be high on the political agenda.
“The firebombing in Bunbury was not random; I believe it is the direct result of the Cook Labor government’s failure to act as this type of crime spread across Western Australia,” he said.
“I think most people in the community know where illegal tobacco is being sold.
“This is right in front of everyone’s eyes. Every other state on the Australian mainland has done something about it, our state hasn’t.”
“And as a result of that inaction, we shouldn’t be surprised that we are seeing more organized crime, that inaction is making our state a target for organized crime, and that small businesses, like we see in Bunbury, are ultimately paying the price.”
Half of Perth’s corner shops sell illegal tobacco. According to a recent survey by the Australian Council on Smoking and Health.
“My hope is that when Parliament restarts, the government will have that amount of time to prepare the necessary legislation to combat the illegal tobacco industry,” Hort said.
“If it’s not delivered on the first day Parliament returns, then my question is: What are they doing as organized crime continues to grow in Western Australia?”
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