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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 4 Hansard (6 May) . . Page.. 966 ..

expectations about how the legislation is to work. Smaller licensed premises which have investigated the airconditioning option to gain an exemption to permit smoking in up to 50 per cent of their floor space are faced with costs of between $6,000 and $40,000. I know that some larger clubs have invested in over $1m to meet the airconditioning standards.

Mr Speaker, the options are not simply to go ahead and say that smoking is banned in licensed premises or to water down the legislation. In a real world the choice is between requiring, with whatever it takes, licensed premises to change overnight from totally unrestricted smoking to total non-smoking or giving those premises limited transition arrangements similar to arrangements provided for restaurants. During the debate on the 1994 Smoke-Free Areas (Enclosed Public Places) Act in the previous Assembly, members stressed the need to bring the community along with us in changing 200 years of smoking culture in Australia. Providing a transition arrangement is exactly this approach.

After consultation with the industry, health groups, members of this Assembly and others, I am pleased to say that we have transition arrangements which I believe will provide a workable solution. We needed to safeguard the investment made by premises which have installed special air handling systems in order to gain an exemption. Such an exemption will permit premises to reduce their smoking-prohibited area from 100 per cent to 50 per cent of their public floor space. We also need to make sure that the key requirements of the law will apply to all premises within a reasonable period of time, and we need to make sure that the transition arrangements are equitable.

This amending Bill does not replace the current options available in the legislation. It provides a further option for licensed premises that need, and have not had, a staged approach. The Bill proposes that for a 17-month period, between 6 June 1997 and 10 November 1998 - - -

Ms McRae: Come in, spinner.

Mr Berry: What about compensation for the ones who have spent millions?

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I cannot hear the Chief Minister speak.

MR SPEAKER: Order! You will all have your opportunity to speak on this matter when it is debated. I wonder whether you will be quite as fulsome then. Continue, Mrs Carnell.

MRS CARNELL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Certain licensed premises may opt to reduce - - -

Ms McRae: Mrs Carnell never interjects - never, never, never!

MR SPEAKER: Continue, Mrs Carnell.

MRS CARNELL: The Bill proposes that for a 17-month period, between 6 June 1997 and 10 November 1998, certain licensed premises may opt to reduce their smoking-prohibited areas from 100 per cent to 75 per cent of their public floor space.

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