In July 2024, licensed vape businesses across Australia were effectively shut down overnight.

Not because we broke the law — but because the law was changed without warning, consultation, or compensation.

Hundreds of small retailers — many family-run — who followed every rule suddenly found themselves criminalised by a single email. Sent late on a Friday afternoon, it informed businesses that their legally acquired inventory would become illegal by Monday morning.

That left just **15 minutes of business time** to respond to the total destruction of our livelihoods.

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**One example is Vape Vendor Australia**, a legally registered, fully compliant retail store that operated in Chester Hill, NSW from 2017 to 2024. They sourced from Australian wholesalers, paid taxes, obeyed every evolving regulation, and never sold to minors.

Despite this, they were given no opportunity to transition, no compensation for stock losses, and no path forward.

They are just one of hundreds.

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We are calling on the Australian Government to acknowledge and rectify this injustice. These laws didn’t just target products — they destroyed families, small businesses, jobs, and community hubs.

Meanwhile, illegal street and black-market sellers continue to operate — untouched.

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### 🛠️ We Are Calling On the Australian Government To:

1. **Publicly acknowledge** the harm caused to compliant vape retailers  
2. **Initiate a formal inquiry** into the rollout and enforcement of the 2024 vaping reforms  
3. **Provide financial compensation** or transitional redress for affected small businesses  
4. **Create a new, evidence-based vaping framework** that protects both public health *and* livelihoods

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This petition isn’t just for one shop — it’s for every business owner, employee, supplier, and community member blindsided by this overreach.

It’s for **justice, accountability, and a fair go**.

> We followed the rules.  
> The rules changed.  
> Then we were punished for following them.

That’s not health reform.  
**That’s cruelty disguised as policy.**

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### 🧱 This Petition Is For:

- Vape shop owners forced to shut down  
- Employees left without jobs  
- Suppliers, wholesalers, and local communities affected  
- Everyday Australians who still believe in **fair treatment**, **due process**, and **a government that listens**

If you believe in a fair go — **stand with us**.

**Sign. Share. Tag your MP. Demand answers.**

We can’t let them erase this without a fight.

Let’s make them listen.