Victoria tightens smoking bans

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDSep 12 2010

The Monash City Council will decide this week whether to start community consultation on a ban on smoking in alfresco dining areas, shopping strips, and sports clubs. Cr Micaela Drieberg said more public areas would be covered. She added that Eaton Mall in Oakleigh would be one of the areas. She said, “I think people want to be able to enjoy a meal or a coffee or just sitting outside with friends and family, especially as the weather is getting warmer, and not have to be exposed to second-hand smoke… They have just as much right to fresh air as a smoker has the right to smoke in certain places.”

The Heart Foundation is hoping for more authorities to follow this example. The Frankston Council is planning similar bans in its CBD from November and the Surf Coast Shire has already banned smoking on beaches.

According to chief executive of the Heart Foundation, Kathy Bell, more than 70 per cent of Victorians surveyed are against smoking in outdoor areas around children. She said, “I think what we're really trying to support here is not only reducing second-hand smoke, but we're also trying to make smoking less visible in the community…If we can do that, our kids are less likely to take up smoking and it's going to be easier for smokers who want to quit to actually be able to quit.”

According to Quit Victoria executive director Fiona Sharkie many councils in New South Wales have already placed bans on smoking in outdoor areas. She said, “There is some increasing evidence to show that in outdoor eating areas that have canopies or awnings over the top, people who eat in those areas or sit in those areas are still at risk of second-hand smoke… We want to see more smoke-free legislation and more smoke-free areas in [places] like sporting areas for the purposes of de-normalising smoking, particularly to children…The majority of people don't smoke and the majority of people would prefer to have these areas smoke free and even a large proportion of smokers agree on smoke-free legislation.” She added that about 17 per cent of adults in Victoria were daily or weekly smokers.

Spokeswoman for cigarette company Philip Morris however retaliated by saying, “We do not believe that banning smoking in outdoor public places is the right approach…We believe smoking should be allowed in outdoor public spaces, except areas intended primarily for children…In establishments such as restaurants and cafes, proprietors should be free to decide whether to permit, restrict, or prohibit smoking.”