30 June 2008
Anti-smoking measures implemented a year ago have proved successful and now it’s time for the State Government to take the next steps in tobacco reform, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis.
“Victoria’s ban on smoking in pubs, clubs and restaurants has helped to reduce the rates of smoking in the state,” Dr Travis said. “Victorians are smoking less than they did a year ago and 40 per cent of smokers said the ban helped them quit.
“Now, 12 months on, we need to take the next steps. Tobacco is still Australia’s largest single preventable cause of death and disease in the country.
“We need to continue to change the social climate so that smoking is no longer considered normal and acceptable, but rather, unhealthy and unnecessary.
“The next steps of tobacco control in Victoria need to focus on limiting the effects of harmful second-hand smoke,” Dr Travis said.
To reduce the harms of second-hand smoke, AMA Victoria is calling on the State Government to:
- Ban smoking in cars carrying children. The effects of passive smoking are harmful, especially to children, and that harm increases when the child is in a confined space such as a car.Victoria should follow the lead of Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia and ban smoking in cars with children.
- Ban smoking in work vehicles. Staff need clean, safe working environments. This includes a smoke-free environment. While most Australian workplaces are now smoke-free, vehicles are not defined as a workplace in smoking legislation. This anomaly means that some workers will still be exposed to second-hand smoke, risking their health. The only way to protect workers’ health is to ban smoking in all workplaces, including work vehicles.
- Ban Smoking on school grounds and on health facility campuses. Smoking is banned in most workplaces and public transport, but there is no legislation to protect children on school grounds or patients and staff outside health facilities such as hospitals.
- Ban Smoking in casino high roller rooms. There is no data that suggests that high stakes gamblers are any less susceptible to the health effects from smoking, nor the staff that serve these gamblers. There is no good reason for existing exemptions to certain entertainment venues.