Authorities have shut 100 shops under newly granted powers aimed at stamping out the trade in illegal tobacco. Since those powers took effect on 9 September, the VIPER Taskforce and Tobacco Licensing Victoria officers have confiscated over four million unlawful cigarettes, roughly 70,000 vaping devices, three tonnes of leaf tobacco and close to $1 million in cash. The drive is directed at criminal networks that profit from the illicit product, including groups run from overseas. Retailers across a string of Melbourne suburbs have been inspected, and the operation is still underway.
Payal Tiwari, a 45-year-old engineer and former management consultant, is the Greens' candidate for the Victorian state election in the Labor-held seat of Kalkallo. She moved to Australia as a child in 1991 and has worked with organisations addressing family violence. Tiwari's priorities include a Beveridge train station, a hospital at Cloverton, and a high school, citing under-representation of multicultural communities in Victorian politics.
Craigieburn has been named one of Victoria's storm hotspots, according to new insurer AAMI data. The analysis of home insurance claims from 2022 to 2026 shows severe storms do not always hit the same place. Werribee, Shepparton, Mulgrave and Highton have each topped the list in a different year. AAMI says every Victorian household should prepare for severe storms. Victoria SES advises cleaning gutters and drains, trimming branches and tying down loose outdoor items.
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A tobacco store in Fitzroy North, Melbourne, was set alight on Monday morning in what police are treating as suspicious. The blaze damaged two neighbouring shops, including a vegan cafe, and close to 30 firefighters were needed to control it. Victoria Police have closed 61 stores over the past four weeks for selling illicit tobacco with alleged links to organised crime. Criminologist James Martin warned that attacks could continue unless authorities address the underlying demand for nicotine rather than relying on reactive crackdowns.
