Other states prepare to introduce bans

By Amanda Watt
07sep04

QUEENSLAND is not the only state to order a total smoking ban in its pubs and clubs, but it will be the first place in Australia where the policy comes into effect.

The Australian Capital Territory and South Australia have introduced similar legislation, but it does not become law in those states until December 2006 and October 2007 respectively.

Other states had a "mixed bag" approach to the issue, Queensland Cancer Fund executive director Dr Jeff Dunn said.

In Tasmania, smoking bans in nightclubs will start on December 31.

Partial smoking bans exist in hotels and bars but they have not announced a total ban as yet.


The NSW Government is currently considering the issue of smoking in pubs and clubs. Victoria has a smoking ban in poker machine areas and other gambling rooms but it has not been expanded to include hotels.

The West Australian Government is moving towards bans on 80 per cent of clubs, pubs and casinos.

Overseas, several countries have adopted a total smoking ban. Ireland, Norway, India and at least six states in the US have anti-smoking laws in public places, including licensed premises.

New Zealand becomes smoke-free in December.

http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,10691418%255E3102,00.html
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jt

Good news, I'm in the UK and the smoking over here is terrible. So many more people than in Australia smoke, even in cafes and restaurants, it's horrible. The pubs can be so smoke filled you can barely see, especially when it is cold and all the doors are shut and there is no aircon.

hmm i think the worst smokers are cars......

It's great news. I love the fact that they are banning it on patrolled beaches as well. If I catch some prick smoking near me I'll be sure to accidently kick a tonne of sand in their face.
lol. Bring back the biff!

Seriously though, I hope they don't expect lifeguards to police it.
Now if only our pollies had the balls to ban em outright (highly unlikely, how would Latham fund his tax cuts?)

This issue was debated for an hour on "Australia talks Back" on Radio National tonight ( www.abc.net.au/rn ) & will be further discussed tomorrow.

Damn, where am I going to get my passive smoke from now!

I laughed at all the whiny letters from smokers in the SMH today. Who will weep for the smokers??? HA HA!

What annoys me about a lot of smokers is they come up, sit next to you at a train station, light up and then you're then one who is forced to move. Part of the reason I often don't go to clubs/pubs is the fact that no matter how nice I smell before I go in, one thing's for sure and that's the fact I'll come out stinking. I rather stay at home, drink with mates and watch the cricket on my T.V. and not have to worry about some douche increasing the chance of me getting heart diseases.

Haha, so did I, Randwicked. Finally a morning coffee without a 'complimentary smoke'.

Smoking was banned 20 metres from outdoor cafes and restaurants in the suburb of Mosman (Sydney) yesterday too. The first suburb in Sydney to do so I believe. If I ran a cafe there I'd give everyone a complimentary ciggarette filter (those tiny white things people use in roll-your-owns) to help block out the deisel fumes from all the Mosman Mowers (4WD's) that parade up and down Military Road.

What annoys me about a lot of smokers is they come up, sit next to you at a train station, light up and then you're then one who is forced to move. Part of the reason I often don't go to clubs/pubs is the fact that no matter how nice I smell before I go in, one thing's for sure and that's the fact I'll come out stinking. I rather stay at home, drink with mates and watch the cricket on my T.V. and not have to worry about some douche increasing the chance of me getting heart diseases.

I go to the pub, light one up, don't have to put up with you whiners... everyone's a winner!

I go to the pub, light one up, don't have to put up with you whiners... everyone's a winner!

you should of added, "and go find myself a nice young girl to f#ck. . . like your sister."

p.s. Can someone explain to me what the proposed smoking bans in the pubs and clubs are going to be? Everywhere or certain areas? p.s. I don't smoke, so it won't affect me.

Its great to see the filty smokers being forced outside they have no right to ruin my health just to enjoy their dirty habit.

im a smoker but im actually glad that they are banning it, im well aware that its a bad habit but there are various reasons for doing it. Anyway, i know that if it was banned i wouldnt bother walking outside onto the curb just to have one, i proably wouldnt even take any when i went out. Unless your seriously addicted then it wount effect you that much at clubs, once your drunk you(well i) kind of smoke as force of habit, or alternatively i smoke cause i see someone else have one.

But hey, they banned it from resturants and people are still surviving without a smoke, it wasnt banned very long ago but i wouldnt even consider having a smoke anywhere were theres people eating now.

^^Yeah, I'm the same TOCC...I smoke occasionally, and only when I'm drinking, but if I had to go out of my way to do it (like going outside of a pub/club) I seriously wouldn't bother.

When I'm not drinking I have no real desire to smoke - in fact quite the opposite, I think it is a dirty habit, but once I've had a bit to drink I'm not so controlled. ;)

I'm so glad they've banned smoking in so many places now - I remember when it came in for shopping centres - I don't think it was all that long ago...maybe mid-late 90's? But now I am just appalled at the notion that people would have ever been allowed to smoke in these centres! Same with restaurants/cafes, indoors of course.

It was so weird when I was at a pub in Calgary because my friend (who is a smoker) wanted to have a cigarette on the "patio" (as they call it) and the waitress told him that there is no smoking on the patio - if he wanted to smoke he would have to go inside. Lol. :weird:

why inside?? lol! it's cool that australia is becoming smoke free, i reckon they shouold ban smoking everywhere except pubs/bars and homes. But smoking shouldnt become illegal (even thought i hate the smell of smoke)

because Perth's cafe's and restaurants are smoke free alot of people stand outside of the footpath and smoke so walking down cafe strips isn't too nice at times, and alot smoke in the alfresco areas. 80% of perth's nightclubs are smoke free, so on alot of clubs you can only smoke on the balconies etc... not sure if its working though

yeah well currently its a bit stupid how the no smoking rules work in QLD, i mean i went to diceys rileys the other night and it was just when they stopped serving dinner and everyone had left or moved to the bar that i had to walk 1m away from the table to smoke cause of a black line which represented the smoking from non-smoking area.

Its great the rules exist, but some of them are mostly useless i mean rhw ducted air-con spreads it around anyway

Can I still smoke weed in bars/cafes in Australia?

hmm you can not sure how far it would take you. If your sitting next to me i wont complain but having said that and yer i hate going out cause dont wanna smell purid like smoke dynamoultraclean as well

After 15 years on the fags, I was the first of all of my friends to give up last year. I have lapsed over the last few weeks and finding hard to let go of it again but, I think its a fantastic thing, it will make alot of people make an extra effort to give up and might even make it easier for them to give up.
I never really understood how it affected other people until I gave up. The first night I went out as a non-smoker, I ended up being surrounded by smokers who seemed to all move in on me until I couldn't breathe properly and started to panic, that freaked me out like you wouldnt believe.
I do think it needs to happen one step at a time with different types of establishments banning it at different times and obviously this is now happening. Smokers generally have addictive personalities and it can feel like persecution when someone is taking away your previous right to do something. If anything, I think non smokers should feel a little sorry for smokers, most non smokers have no idea how hard it is to give up smoking, it is one of the hardest addictions to give up.