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 < Back Smoke-Free Environment Amendment Bill March 30th 2006 NSW Democrat MLC, Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, has offered the Government and the Opposition a second opportunity to implement a truly Smoke Free Environment Act by introducing the Smoke-Free Environment (Removal of Exemptions) Amendment Bill 2006. “Unlike the current regulations being considered, my bill is very straight-forward. It will simply pull clubs, hotels, nightclubs, casinos, or private gaming areas into line with every other workplace in NSW,” he said. While the Minister for Health, John Hatzistergos, has stated that the proposed regulations do not exempt employers from their responsibilities, Dr. Chesterfield-Evans believes that regulations should protect employees from the hazards of a smoke-filled workplace. “I doubt that the Minister’s reassurance will be very comforting to people who get cancer while collecting glasses and emptying ash trays in these areas. The Minister is blithely condemning affected employees to life-altering illness and a long slog through the courts to extract compensation,” said Dr. Chesterfield-Evans. Dr. Chesterfield-Evans believes that the government and opposition have dragged their heels for too long, and that continued support for smoking in public places demonstrates a serious lack of commitment to public health. “NSW spends $6 million dollars a year on smoking-related disease and mortality. There are 6,600 deaths each year, 150 hospitalisations every day, and it is long past time that Government and Opposition showed some ticker on this issue. Enough is more than enough,” he concluded. Debate on Dr Chesterfield-Evans bill will continue next Thursday.. |
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updated:
February 14, 2006
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