Page 1011 - Week 03 - Thursday, 10 March 2016
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The Australian government and state and territory governments, through COAG, have committed to reducing the national adult daily smoking rate to 10 per cent by 2018. Over several decades, Australian governments have delivered a series of robust policies and programs designed to reduce the level of smoking in Australia. The introduction of graphic visual warnings, the ban on indoor smoking, the introduction of plain packaging, the requirement not to display tobacco products at the point of sale and the frequent increases in taxes levied on tobacco products have all contributed to a long-term and effective campaign that has seen the number of smokers in Australia halve over the past 20 years.
The Smoke-Free Public Places Amendment Bill seeks to continue that work. The bill will allow the designation of smoke-free public places by ministerial declaration rather than by primary legislation. It is thought that this will allow for a speedier and more responsive rollout of smoke-free public places. The bill also shifts the focus away from the built environment to outdoor and open locations such as sporting fields, bus stops, playgrounds and large public gatherings, amongst others. As one of Canberra’s many non-smokers, I look forward to breathing easier as the Smoke-Free Public Places Amendment Bill further limits the locations in which tobacco smoking can occur.
I remind members that progressive public health policies such as this exact bill will in future be subject to the investor state dispute settlement provisions of the transpacific trade agreement that was recently signed by Minister Andrew Robb on behalf of the federal Liberal government. Much as the Ukraine sued Australia over our tobacco plain packaging laws in the World Trade Organisation, the Smoke-Free Public Places Bill will potentially be subject to profit-driven lawsuits in the future, courtesy of the federal government signing up to the TPP.
The Greens will be supporting this bill today.
MS FITZHARRIS (Molonglo—Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research, Minister for Transport and Municipal Services and Assistant Minister for Health) (5.45), in reply: I am pleased that the Assembly is today debating the Smoke-Free Public Places Amendment Bill. This bill enacts a robust process to allow the Chief Minister and responsible minister to jointly declare a public place or event smoke free. In doing so, it significantly streamlines the process to establish new smoke-free areas in the ACT.
Smoke-free areas are a vital tool for reducing community exposure to tobacco smoke. Tobacco smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death and disease in Australia. Smoking is responsible for the death of up to two-thirds of Australian smokers aged 45 years and over and is a primary risk factor for various cancers, respiratory and cardiovascular disease and other illnesses.
Second-hand smoke contains a mixture of particulate matter and thousands of chemicals, many of which are toxic or cancer causing. Exposure to this smoke has been shown to cause a range of adverse health effects, including lung cancer and heart disease. Significantly, there is no safe level of exposure.
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