Ten News: WA Retailers Calls for Urgent Action on Illegal Tobacco
A joint MGA and IGA WA State Board press conference calling for urgent action against illegal tobacco generated extensive media coverage across Perth’s major television news bulletins, helping raise awareness of the growing organised crime issue. Watch the 10 News Perth coverage (6:35):
The West Australian – ‘Deadly crisis’: Local IGA owners call on State Government to strengthen WA’s illicit tobacco laws
Local IGA owners are pushing for fast-tracked laws in WA that would give landlords the right to evict dodgy retailers selling illegal cigarettes and vapes, saying they didn’t want “the deadly tobacco crisis” to creep into the State. In a letter to Premier Roger Cook, the IGA WA board and Master Grocers Australia expressed their […]
3AW Breakfast: Concerns for the emerging illicit alcohol market in Victoria
MGA CEO Martin Stirling appeared on 3AW Breakfast on June 18, 2026, warning that authorities are not yet doing enough to address the emerging illicit alcohol market in Victoria and that the country could be facing its next major public health disaster. Speaking with hosts Ross and Russ, Martin warned that Melbourne and Victoria were […]
ABC Melbourne Breakfast: The emergence of an illicit alcohol market in Australia
MGA CEO Martin Stirling appeared on ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast on June 18, 2026, to discuss the emerging threat of an illicit alcohol market in Australia and the risk that organised crime groups could expand from tobacco into alcohol. Martin warned that the same distribution networks and retail channels that organised crime had built through […]
ABC Gippsland Mornings: Illicit alcohol market is emerging in Victoria
MGA CEO Martin Stirling appeared twice on ABC Gippsland Regional Statewide Mornings on June 18, 2026, to discuss concerns that an emerging illicit alcohol market in Victoria could follow the same dangerous trajectory as the illegal tobacco trade. In the first interview at 9:08am, Martin warned that the same warning signs now flashing for illicit […]
10 News: Crime rate is still unacceptably high
Master Grocers Australia was featured in the Channel 10 News evening broadcast on June 18, 2026, as part of a wider report on Victoria’s crime statistics, with the segment highlighting the growing threat of extortion and black market alcohol targeting family grocery stores. The broadcast reported that while Victoria’s overall crime rate has dipped slightly […]
7NEWS Melbourne: Liquor retailers calling on the state government to take immediate action
Following earlier coverage on 7 News social media, Master Grocers Australia CEO Martin Stirling and illicit trade expert Rohan Pike were featured in the official Channel 7 Seven News evening broadcast on June 18, 2026, bringing the illicit alcohol crisis to a prime time national audience at 6:20pm. The broadcast expanded on the urgent industry […]
2GB Breakfast: The growth of the illicit alcohol market in Australia
Master Grocers Australia CEO Martin Stirling joined Ben Fordham on 2GB’s Breakfast program on June 19, 2026, to discuss the rapidly growing illicit alcohol black market and the urgent need for government action before it mirrors the devastation of the tobacco wars. Martin warned that organised crime is moving fast into black market alcohol, with […]
Townsville Bulletin: Pressure mounts to combat illicit alcohol
Master Grocers Australia CEO Martin Stirling and Lincoln Wymer were featured in the Townsville Bulletin alongside a major investigation into Victoria’s illicit tobacco and alcohol crisis. In Townsville Bulletin coverage titled “Former AFP detective Rohan Pike labels Victoria’s tobacco response a ‘sham’ as pressure mounts to combat illicit alcohol,” published on June 18, 2026, Martin […]
The Shout: Experts, retailers and police convene over illicit alcohol market threat
The Shout’s National Liquor News featured MGA’s Liquor – The Next Illicit Market forum, which brought together industry authorities, retailers and police at an urgent meeting held in Melbourne to address the growing threat of the illicit alcohol black market. Master Grocers Australia CEO, Martin Stirling, called on all levels of government to establish a […]
