University goes tobacco-free

Zoe Nikakis
January 13, 2014
The Age
The University will go tobacco-free on all campuses from World Cancer Day on 4 February to provide a healthier environment for staff, students and visitors.
It currently prohibits smoking inside all its buildings and vehicles and within six metres of entrances and doorways, but smoking is allowed in its open spaces.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis says the move is a natural progression of the University’s commitment to healthy campuses.
“The University is committed to helping improve the health and wellbeing of our staff and students, and this is a step towards further encouraging our community to take action against the harmful effects of smoking,” he says.
“It also aims to minimise the harmful impact of second-hand smoke to others across the campus.”
The move will include support programs for those seeking to quit smoking and aims to further promote health and wellbeing for all staff, students and visitors to the University.
Public health expert in the School of Population and Global Health Professor Rob Moodie says the University is an internationally recognised leader in health research, education and training, and policy and practice, and the organisation should match its best practice education and research with best practice policy.
“Over 40 per cent of deaths from tobacco are due to cancer. Young people –who comprise much of the undergraduate population – who are exposed to tobacco smoke carry the health harms of involuntary smoke much longer,” he says.
“The University’s younger students are also most susceptible to developing potentially harmful smoking habits.”
The change means from next month, the new anti-smoking rules will apply: smoking on University grounds will be prohibited and no campus businesses will be able to sell cigarettes.
The University will phase out smoking across its campuses from 4 February, with a view to requiring full compliance from the beginning of 2015.
This step is in keeping with moves by the national tertiary education sector to go tobacco-free with the support of QUIT and VicHealth. It is also in line with discussions with partners across the Parkville precinct to establish a tobacco-free precinct.
www.tobaccofree.unimelb.edu.au
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