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Smoking Legislation Must Go Further
AMA Victoria welcomes the introduction this week of tougher smoking laws. However, according to AMA Victoria President Dr Mark Yates, several key areas have not been covered in the new legislation.
Dr Yates said the State Government should be commended for the introduction this week of tougher laws on smoking and the sale of tobacco, but said legislation must be extended further.
“Vehicles and school grounds are two key areas which this new legislation should have included.
“While most schools do not allow smoking within their grounds, it should be legislated to ensure teachers, parents and visitors to schools do not set a bad example for children, and action can be taken if necessary.
“Additionally, the legislation should be extended to ban smoking in vehicles. Currently passengers, including children, can be exposed to high levels of lethal smoke.”
“The concentration of smoke in a vehicle is high given the confined space and it is irresponsible to expose children or other passengers to passive smoking.
“Smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in Australia, killing not only smokers but also those exposed to second hand smoke.”
Dr Yates said other areas of concern included:
- The outdoor dining and drinking legislation allows smoking in areas up to 75% enclosed
- The ban on smoking in licensed premises will not be implemented until July 2007
“The State Government must maintain momentum with tobacco law reform and continue to protect the community from the devastating affects of smoking.
“The bottom line is smoking related deaths are preventable, so we must continue to do all we can to reduce peoples’ exposure to smoking. No-one should be exposed to another person’s cigarette smoke, especially children.”
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