Half of all NSW councils now have some sort of ban on smoking in outdoor areas, up from 38 per last year, and 18 per cent in 2007, a report released today by the Heart Foundation finds.
However, the rules vary between suburbs, with neighbouring councils implementing smoke-free policies in a piecemeal fashion since Manly Council became the first jurisdiction in the country – and only the second in the world behind Los Angeles – to legislate a smoking ban on beaches in May 2004.
The Heart Foundation said the current situation, where smoking is banned on Bondi and Balmoral beaches, but allowed at Coogee and Cronulla, was ”ridiculous”.
Its chief executive, Tony Thirlwell, said the foundation was part of a coalition including the Cancer Council NSW and the Local Government and Shires Associations that had been advocating a statewide approach since 2006.
”While we haven’t received any details about proposed legislation, we would welcome a move that bring us into line with other states and protects all NSW residents from harmful second-hand smoke,” he said.
This week, the Minister assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer), Frank Sartor, said smoking rates had dropped by 5 per cent to 17.2 per cent since 2003, due in part to the landmark Smoke-free Environment Act introduced in 2000.
”We are about to release a tobacco strategy which aims to further reduce smoking to 13.5 per cent by 2016 and 10 per cent by 2020,” he told Parliament.
A spokeswoman for the minister confirmed that legislation prohibiting smoking in outdoor areas was part of a range of policies being considered by cabinet.
The laws would be similar to those introduced in Queensland, where smoking has been banned in all children’s playgrounds and sporting fields since January 2005 and in outdoor eating and drinking venues, except pubs and clubs, since July 2006.
The Heart Foundation’s annual survey of smoke-free policies in NSW’s 152 councils found that 74 per cent of the 43 metropolitan municipalities have now introduced some sort of ban, compared with only 40 per cent of 109 regional councils.
Of the 76 councils with smoke-free policies, 99 per cent cover playgrounds, making this the most common smoke-free area. Sporting fields (80 per cent), pools (46 per cent), areas within a certain distance of council buildings (42 per cent) and alfresco-dining areas (14 per cent) were included to various degrees.
The president of the Local Government Association, Genia McCaffery, said the lack of state legislation and funding had been a significant barrier for councils implementing or expanding a smoke-free policy.
There is emerging evidence on how smoking affects air quality in outdoor locations. A recent study showed that a person sitting near a smoker in an outdoor area could be exposed to levels of cigarette smoke similar to those experienced by someone sitting in an indoor pub or club.
There is also evidence to suggest that smoke-free areas support smokers who are trying to quit as well as reduce their overall cigarette consumption.