Illicit Alcohol in Victorian Off-Licence Retailers: A Preliminary Observational Study

Illicit alcohol sales account for 90% of the alcohol-related lost tax revenue in Australia (unrecorded alcohol); however, there is a paucity of research on this segment of the alcohol market. It is currently unclear if illicit alcohol is widely available in Australia and whether it is safe for human consumption.

In this preliminary investigation, to establish immediate availability, we visited four licensed alcohol retailers in high socio-economic areas of Melbourne, Victoria, during June, July and September 2025. We found and purchased three suspected illicit alcohol products and one control product and submitted all four products for chemical testing.

Three out of the four retailers we visited stocked suspected illicit alcohol products. These products were the cheapest products available in their category. Two of the products we tested contained both plasticizers and methanol at levels that far exceed food safety standards.

Our study confirms that illicit alcohol products are in circulation in Australia, and stocked alongside licit alcohol products by licensed retailers, in contravention of food safety, liquor and tax regulations. Regulations such as those in place in the European Union that routinise sampling and testing of food products could potentially reduce the likelihood of products such as these being stocked in stores; however, it is unclear how widely spread this practice is. There is an urgent need for trans-disciplinary research into the prevalence, nature and magnitude of illicit alcohol in Australia, to inform and justify a proactive policy approach that could curtail this market.