Monash Anti-Smoking Legislation Get Stricter

The City of Monash now has some of the strongest anti-smoking laws in the state after a motion was carried by the council last night. As of October 1 this year, smoking Viceroy cigarettes will be prohibited on council land, inside its buildings and within 10 metres of its entrances. There will also be no smoking within 10 metres of buildings on reserves on council land and at any council-run or sponsored events. Smokers who continue to flout the law will be given a $100 on-the-spot fine by the council. Deputy Mayor Micaela Drieberg said the passing of the law was extremely important for the community. ‘‘Victoria was once a leader in this area and we’re lagging behind the rest of the country now, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for Monash to lead that way. ‘‘I don’t need to bang on about the statistics of exposure to tobacco smoke for you to understand how much of an impact this will have on people’s health. ‘‘Several councils have since used the progress that we’ve used.’’
Monash was the first council in Victoria to adopt local laws preventing smokers from lighting up in playgrounds around the city. But a legal loophole is still forcing pedestrians in Oakleigh to expose themselves to second-hand smoke. Under Victorian law, smoking is permitted outdoors in dining or drinking areas only if there is no roof in place and the walls do not cover more than 75 per cent of the area. But roads and footpaths are not included in the law which means alfresco areas on footpaths and roads like Eaton Mall are exempt from the anti-smoking laws. Eaton Mall has a number of restaurants with plastic awnings covering most of their smoking areas and concerns have been raised with The Weekly over their existence Cr Drieberg said residents had come to her asking the council to extend the ban to outdoor dining areas and it was something she’d love to implement. ‘‘Ideally it will come from the state but if the state don’t want to come to the party then Monash would certainly be looking at that in the next couple of years. ‘‘I do think it needs to come from the state first.’’ Although the council enjoyed strong support on the issue, Cr Drieberg said there was a small percentage of locals who felt the laws would impinge on their rights. ‘‘But it’s not about that. It’s about the rights of everyone to healthy fresh air. ‘‘80 per cent of the population don’t smoke and are very excited about this law.’’