State Government lashed over weak anti-smoking laws

Anne Wright
Herald Sun
May 28, 2012

Some local councils want Victoria to catch up with other states by introducing a statewide policy to ban smoking in outdoor drinking and dining areas, Quit Victoria executive director Fiona Sharkie said.

She said every time a council proposed a ban within its municipality, local traders argued their business would move to a neighbouring suburb.

Victoria is the only state without an outdoor smoking ban, tobacco licensing, and with no policy on smoking at public hospitals and health facilities.

“Everybody else has already done it so it’s a bit of a no-brainer,” she told the Herald Sun yesterday.

Victoria was this weekend awarded the 2012 “Dirty Ashtray” award by the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Council on Smoking and Health for having the least effective state government policies to combat smoking.

Municipal Association of Victoria president Bill McArthur said councils had been calling on the State Government to act for some time.

“The framework that we presented to government did outline that it would be far better for the state to take a lead as other state governments have done,” he said.

AMA Victoria president Stephen Parnis said “traditionally Victoria has been one of Australia’s leaders in tobacco control
measures and public health in this regard, but what this tells us is that as a state we’ve dropped the ball,” he said.

Ms Sharkie said introducing tobacco licensing would allow authorities to monitor where cigarettes were sold.

A State Government spokeswoman yesterday said discussions were being held with a “range of stakeholders” about potential anti-smoking measures.

“These discussions will inform consideration of further government action in relation to outdoor smoking bans,” she said.