Media release: July 27, 2010
Parramatta City Council’s
decision last night (July 26) to adopt a smokefree alfresco
dining policy will improve health, protect employees and children, and will be
popular and good for business, say employee and health groups.
The SmokeFree Australia
coalition* of 11 health and employee organisations has welcomed the Council vote
to make new and renewing outdoor dining licenses conditional on being 100%
smokefree by January 1, 2011 – with later renewals encouraged to also meet the
deadline.
Says coalition co-ordinator
Stafford Sanders: “This will be literally a breath of fresh air for
Parramatta’s alfresco patrons,
including children – and also for the staff at these workplaces who will now
enjoy their right to a work environment free of tobacco’s toxic, carcinogenic
contaminants.
“This is a sound, responsible
decision by Council - bringing Parramatta into line with best health protection
practice and fulfilling local government obligations under international treaty
to protect all people from the many and serious health harms caused by
secondhand smoke.
“Council has shown itself
ready to stand up for the clear wishes of its community against the misleading
and deceptive scare tactics of tobacco-friendly interests who have tried to
convince councillors and businesses that they will lose trade by going smokefree.
“In fact, all the
independent, objective evidence in Australia and worldwide shows the reverse:
smokefree dining attracts far more patrons than it deters, and this will happen
in Parramatta just as it has everywhere this step has been taken.
“Parramatta’s popular alfresco
culture will now be even more welcoming to a community that increasingly expects
to dine smokefree with families and friends.
“Community support for
smokefree dining is so strong that it will soon become mostly self-enforcing, as
it has elsewhere.
“Smokers will accept the
policy, as they are mostly reasonable people who accept that a right to smoke
doesn’t imply a right to inflict smoke on others, especially not on vulnerable
and ‘captive’ groups in crowded workplaces.
“We
call on all other councils, including Sydney City Council, to follow suit to
protect their communities and workplaces.”
Comment:
Stafford Sanders, SmokeFree
* SmokeFree Australia coalition
for safe workplaces:
Action
on Smoking and Health Australia;
Australian Council of Trade Unions;
Australian Council on Smoking and Health; Australian Medical Association; Cancer
Council Australia; Heart Foundation;
Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers’ Union; Lung Institute of WA; Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance; Musicians’ Union of
Australia; Non-Smokers’ Movement of Australia