Tasmania has kicked their smoking laws up a notch, announcing a ban on the habit at workplaces, pedestrian malls, bus stops, and worst of all, music festivals. Though those in charge have said penalties will be “last resort”, anyone who disregards the new laws could possibly be fined.
According to The Mercury, the law was introduced at the start of the month, right after the iconic Tassie leg of Falls Festival – and yes, Falls will be one of the festivals where smoking will be banned. Event organisers can, however, apply to the council to set up designated smoking areas. It’s the same deal for other venue owners, as it is now against the law to smoke anywhere near where food is being sold.
Herding us all into sectioned-off areas might make us out to be like zoo animals, but for good reason, as the Tassie government aims to teach children that smoking is “abnormal behaviour”. As a preventative measure, there will be ciggy police, who will do random checks to ensure that no one is planning on having a cheeky dart outside of the proper areas.
This is just the latest in new smoking bans introduced by the Tassie Government, explains The Health Department’s Environmental Health manager, Stuart Heggie, “These smoke-free [events] are in addition to the completely smoke-free Carols by Candlelight services held in the state this Christmas, as well as the bans that already exist in a range of locations where children play and families gather, and the recently added patrolled areas of Tasmania’s beaches,”
It will be a bit of a bummer if the new law catches on, but there’s nothing like some in-voluntary cold turkey.
Tasmania’s smoke-free areas:
• Public events (from January 2).
• Workplaces, including offices, gaming venues, nightclubs and shopping centres.
• Public buildings (smoking is banned within three metres of the buildings’ entrances).
• In cars with children, and inside work vehicles.
• Outdoor dining areas during food service times (in addition to state laws, the Hobart City Council has banned smoking at all times in outdoor dining areas within the city).
• Pedestrian malls.
• Bus malls and shelters (smoking is banned within three metres of a bus shelter).
• Within 10 metres of playgrounds.
• Patrolled beaches and public swimming pools.
• Outdoor sports grounds.
