New South Wales (Australia) will recruit 30 additional full-time tobacco inspectors to strengthen the state’s Centre for Regulation & Enforcement, expanding the statewide compliance team to 78 staff as authorities intensify efforts against illicit tobacco and vaping products. Since tougher enforcement laws took effect in November 2025, NSW Health and police have closed 66 retailers, including five Sydney Inner West tobacconists last week, while January inspections seized approximately 560,000 cigarettes, 98 kilograms of illicit tobacco, and more than 6,000 illegal vaping products valued at about A$830,000 ($589,000). The government is advancing further legislative measures, including landlord liability provisions and penalties exceeding A$1.5 million ($1.1 million) and seven years’ imprisonment for commercial-scale illicit tobacco offences, as officials warn high federal excise taxes continue to drive demand for illegal products and fuel evolving retail tactics such as QR code and social media-based sales.
NSW Increasing Tobacco-Inspector Staff by 62%
