LOCAL government peak body the Municipal Association of Victoria is pushing a plan that would restrict smoking in outdoor public places, including bans in alfresco dining areas and children's playgrounds.
MAV president Bill McArthur said the proposal to Health Minister David Davis was to provide consistency in local laws for some common outdoor areas and improve public health.
Simon Armstrong, of the cafe Seddon Deadly Sins, said it was a vexed issue with no simple answer. The cafe has outdoor seating and he estimates about a quarter of its customers are smokers. Increasingly, non-smokers are becoming frustrated with drinking their coffee in the courtyard shared with smokers, he said.
"It's their right to smoke if they want to and that right would be taken away by [a ban]. There's an equally valid argument saying, 'Why should I have to smell that smoke while I'm having my nice coffee and breakfast'."
Mr Armstrong, a non-smoker, said a uniform law on smoking in outdoor areas could make it easier for individual traders to uphold wishes of non-smokers without losing business because it would be up to the individual to modify their lifestyle when dining out.
Almost one in four males and one in six females in Maribyrnong are regular smokers, according to the most recent Health Department survey. Cancers and cardiovascular disease are the cause of more than half the deaths - 60per cent for males, 63per cent for females - of people in Maribyrnong.
Mayor Sarah Carter said the council did not have a formal position but supported the broad intent of the plan to reduce smoking rates and health risks associated with second-hand smoke. "Council would need to determine the costs associated with this approach and community views about smoking in outdoor areas if considering the proposal."
A government spokeswoman said it was "receptive to reviewing practical ideas to reduce smoking rates" and would be examining the results of council trials.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий