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Governments Set to Have Australia Smoking Forever
May 20th 2005

The NSW government is set to roll over to allow smoking in pubs and clubs forever claims Democrats MLC and tobacco activist, Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans.

When the Smoke-Free Environment Amendment Act went through we were suspicious that pubs and clubs did not have to go smoke-free till mid 2007. Effectively this meant that clubs and pubs that had been going smoke-free because of being sued under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the obligation to provide 'a workplace free of hazards' were using the new Smoke-free act to say that they did not have to go smoke-free yet.

The Smoke free Environment Act became the Smoky Environment Act. But the situation is worse than this. The devil is in the detail. Clubs and pubs now are lobbying successfully to define 'outdoors' where smoking will be allowed.

Outdoors can be covered areas (i.e. with roofs) where there is only 25% opening. So there will be comfortable areas where smoking can go on forever, and staff will presumably be asked to work in a smoky environment. From a public health point of view, smokers will be under no pressure to quit and smoking-caused diseases will have a social place to continue.

The Carr government has rolled over to the Hotels on this, ACT has and it is rumoured that Victoria and Queensland are next. Countries like Ireland with much higher smoking rates than Australia have already successfully introduced totally smoke-free pubs, yet our governments are ignoring the huge majority that want smoke-free air, and are giving in to a moneyed lobby. It is a disgrace that governments are doing this.

"Please contact your local member and demand smoke-free air now- your health and the health of your children is at stake!" declared Dr Chesterfield-Evans.