Tobacco—Illicit supply
362. Mrs Kirrilee Warrto theMinister for Health:
On behalf of the Nationals WA and other members on this side, I wish the Premier and the Attorney General a very happy birthday today.
I refer to reports of high-level meetings this week to discuss tougher penalties for the sale and supply of illicit tobacco.
(1) Given that the Department of Health is responsible for enforcing tobacco sales in WA, did the minister attend this meeting and, if not, why was the Minister for Health absent from such a critical discussion?
(2) With retailers openly and brazenly selling black market tobacco, why is the minister's department failing to enforce the sale of these products?
Ms Meredith Hammat replied:
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the question. I can confirm that I did not attend that meeting, but it was well attended by the Minister for Preventative Health and the Minister for Police. A number of staff were a part of that discussion as well.
Mr Roger Cook: And the Premier!
Ms Meredith Hammat: I beg your pardon, Premier. The Premier attended as well! I apologise. Of course, senior staff from the department attended as well. This is an issue that we are taking incredibly seriously. We are making sure that we have the right framework in place for legislation around this important issue. It is an issue that the government is working on not just in terms of making sure that we are undertaking compliance activities and using the laws that currently exist to their full effect, but also by giving consideration to what more we need to do to strengthen those laws to ensure that our community is kept safe.
363. Mrs Kirrilee Warrto theMinister for Health:
I have a supplementary question. In relation to that enforcement, is the Minister for Health prepared to lay on the table and expose to this chamber today how many fines of enforcement have been upheld to date in relation to the illicit sales?
Ms Meredith Hammat replied:
I invite the member to put that question on notice. We are happy to provide that detail.
