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Smoking in Schools
AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates has called on the State Government and Opposition to urgently close loopholes in the tobacco control legislation currently before Parliament.
“The government has moved to ban smoking at under age music/dance events but left young people to be exposed to smoking in schools, arguably the most influential environment of them all,” Dr Yates said.
“The smoking restrictions proposed under the Tobacco (Amendment) Bill are welcome but there are glaring loopholes such as the omission of schools and school grounds in the list of premises where smoking will be banned.”
Dr Yates said there was ample evidence available to government of the strong behavioural influence teachers have on students.
“While some schools have embraced the government’s guidelines there are many schools, which have not, allowing teachers (and in same cases) students to smoke in breaks.”
Dr Yates said the latest data1 gathered from Victorian schools indicated that each week about 62,000 Victorian students aged 12 – 17 years old smoked about 1.5 million cigarettes.
“While the data showed some welcome decrease in the percentage of boys and girls smoking, the numbers remain alarming. The serious consequences for the health of each one of these children are indisputable.
“The government’s own guidelines highlight the influence of role modelling by teachers on young people yet their legislation appears to ignore this fact and leaves the issue to the discretion of individual schools.
“There is no discretion when it comes to 40kph speed limits around schools today and nor should there be discretion regarding smoking in school grounds.
“Some 5000 Victorians die each year from smoking-related illness and these children will be amongst those statistics in the future if we do not do everything possible to prevent them from taking up smoking and being exposed to the damaging effects of passive smoking.”
Dr Yates said the legislation also exposed workers in pubs and clubs to passive smoking because of a loophole which would allow smoking in licensed premises with a 25% or more gap in the wall space.
“New South Wales hotel and club managers are having a field day working out ways to apply this loophole to evade the purpose of the legislation. Victoria must learn from the experience of the other states and tighten the loopholes now while we have the opportunity.
“These exemption provisions for marques, balconies and verandahs with a roof and more than 75% wall area make a mockery of the legislation.
“The damaging effects of smoking on our community are clearly evident in the thousands of people dying each year from coronary heart disease, stroke and cancers associated with tobacco exposure.
“The government knows this and must make every effort to close these loopholes now.”
The Cancer Council of Victoria Behavioural Research in cancer survey 2002.
Victorian Medical Directory
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