Smoking has been banned for many years in specific areas for reasons of hygiene and safety. These include kitchen and food preparation areas in public eating houses, areas in which hazardous (especially inflammable) chemicals and other substances are stored or handled, and in public enclosed spaces where fire hazard is a major consideration (for example in theatres, cinemas and lifts).
Restrictions on smoking on public transport are controlled by the state and federal Ministers for Transport and Health. All states prohibit smoking on government operated urban buses, trams and trains. Smoking on all intra and interstate buslines was banned in 1988, but larger buses for private charter are not covered by regulation. Some states have banned smoking on country trains, or provide separate smoking and non-smoking carriages.
Most states have rulings covering transportation in taxi cabs, for the most part ensuring the rights of the both the driver and the passenger to a smokefree journey.
Smoking aboard Australian domestic aircraft was banned on 1 December 1987, as a Federal Government initiative to protect the health and safety of passengers and in-flight crews. A fine of $500 may be enforced.(123)
One year following the ban, the Member of Parliament who initiated it, Mr Ronald Edwards (the Federal Member for Stirling, WA) reported to the House of Representatives that the smokefree initiative had been a resounding success: the airlines had recorded significant reductions in cleaning and maintenance expenses, and staff reported improved morale, health and productivity. At the airports, ground crew were able to allocate seating more quickly, and inflight, problems with demarcation of non-smoking and smoking areas in the cabin no longer existed. Further, enforcement of the ban in-flight had not been a major problem; around two-thirds of attendants surveyed by the Australian Flight Attendants' Association commented that they had received no complaints from smokers about the ban, and less than one percent reported 'a lot' of difficulties in actual enforcement of the ban.(124)
On May 25, 1990, the Federal Government announced that smoking would be banned on international flights within Australian airspace, effective from 1 September 1990.(125) In October 1994 the Federal Government announced that smoking would be banned on all Australian international flights from July 1996, making Qantas and Ansett smokefree on all flights.(126) Agreement has been reached between Australia, the United States and Canada to ban smoking on all non-stop passenger flights operating between the three countries from March 1, 1995.(126)
The international civil aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, has adopted the directive that inflight smoking should be banned by mid-1996 and is collaborating with the World Health Organization towards this end,(127) although member states are left to determine their own policies.(128)
All services operating into Australia by British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air Pacific, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Garuda and Thai Airways are now smokefree. Prior to the federal ban, Qantas had confirmed that its eventual intention was to be completely smokefree, and by October 1994 expected around 80% of its services to be completely non-smoking.(129) All Australian domestic and international airport terminals operated by the Federal Airports Corporation are now smokefree.(130)
Many hospitals take a stance against smoking by declaring public areas smokefree. Some restrict smoking to designated waiting rooms, and only allow patients to smoke with the authority of their attending physician. Increasingly, hospitals are banning the sale of tobacco products on their premises.
Restrictions on smoking in residential care facilities have been in place for many years to reduce the risks of fire and injury. Elderly people who live in nursing homes, hostels and retirement villages are at particular risk of exposure to passive smoking and the subsequent adverse health effects since it is where they spend the vast majority of their time.(131)
A survey in Western Australia in 1992 showed that retirement villages had fewest restrictions on smoking, hostels imposed more restrictions and nursing homes, where residents are generally more dependent and frail, had the most stringent policies to provide smokefree areas. Following an education program, a modest increase in the level of protection from exposure to passive smoking was observed among surveyed facilities. The proportion reporting smokefree policies in all residential and staff areas increased among nursing homes from 20.4% to 33.0% and among hostels from 9.6% to 16.4%, but was virtually unchanged in retirement villages at 9.8% compared with 8.9%.(131)
Protection of residents from passive smoking can be achieved by the prohibition of smoking in residents' rooms except where a resident has sole occupancy and separate ventilation; the designation of all shared dining and recreation areas as smokefree; and the prohibition of smoking by staff in any areas which would affect residents. Constraints on the space available in many facilities mean that it may not always possible to provide an indoor area with separate ventilation for residents who wish to smoke, and in these cases appropriately sheltered and appointed outdoor areas could be considered.(131)
While occupational health and safety legislation has led to directives for many schools to have smokefree school buildings and vehicles, schools need to establish their own policies to cover school grounds.(132)
Schools have a duty to provide students with a safe and healthy educational environment, as well as giving them information about important health issues such as smoking. Equally, schools are places of employment for teachers and other staff, who are entitled to a safe workplace.
A smokefree policy should apply equally to teachers, staff and students. Allowing smoking by some groups within the school community undermines the policy and the credibility of health education. Providing students with an area in which they may smoke will be seen as a privilege and give other students an incentive to smoke. Going smokefree is a healthy choice which shows students how good public health policy can be put into action.(133)
Smoking restrictions have been introduced for most foyers of the Victorian Arts Centre and its two restaurants,(134) and smoking has been banned in the Sydney Opera House in all but a small portion of the Bennelong Restaurant. The Greater Union cinema chain has become smokefree. A recent Perth survey showed that around a quarter of city cinemas and half of Perth theatres had adopted smoking bans or restrictions in foyers and other public areas. Some of these restrictions were prompted by acceptance of funding from Healthway, the Western Australian health promotion foundation.(135)
Several companies which own shopping centres have introduced or are phasing in smoking restrictions or bans. The AMP Society has banned smoking in the public areas of its 14 properties, including the Centrepoint in Sydney. Jones Lang Wootton and Lend Lease, which between them manage 97 centres, have also adopted policies, as have National Mutual, the Burnett Property Group and the Stockland Group.(136) Westfield, which manages 24 centres, announced a ban on smoking in common mall areas from October 1 1994 due to community preferences and legal implications.(137)