Current Campaigns

Campaigns for Smoke Free Areas in Public Places

• Perth Airport
• Prisons
• Sporting fields and outdoor events
• Smoking in Films and Television
• Smokefree Homes
• Investment in tobacco
• Sidepak Campaign

ACOSH has vigorously pushed for restrictions on smoking in public areas. Recent changes reflect success in this area, but there still is a long way to go as ACOSH continues to work to achieve a smokefree state. Some of ACOSH's recent activities in the fight for a smokefree state:

Perth Airport stinks! Do you agree?

Perth Airport puts the health of its passengers and visitors at risk because of its defective so called smoking 'policy'.  A costly smoking shelter was erected in Perth Domestic Airport in February. This ridiculous backward step was done to address the fact that people were smoking everywhere.

We didn't want to rely on our own good sense, so we went after evidence. In a 30 minute span in February we observed a whopping 80 people smoking in front of the airport, while 15 people used the shelter and another eight stood outside to smoke. There was not a hint of enforcement of the policy.

Always open to the possibility of improvement, we went back in May. Things had deteriorated, with more than 70 people smoking in the no smoking areas in a 40 minute span. Some of the no smoking signs were damaged, there was butt litter everywhere, and people were smoking while standing in clearly marked no smoking areas. Through the smoky haze we saw no attempt at enforcement. Eight people were in the shelter smoking, while another 16 stood right outside the shelter to smoke. Why weren't they using this innovative little shelter for the purpose it was built? Because it is so disgusting. Particulate matter testing showed that the air inside the shelter on both occasions was at a dangerous level.

During both our visits to the airport we observed many people walking in and out of the entrance to the airport through the thick cloud of cigarette smoke: families, young children, babies, elderly people, families, couples and individuals. We tested the particulate matter at the entrance on both our visits, and both times the air was considered to be dangerous and unhealthy. 

Here's a little fact to use as a backdrop to this: 85% of West Australians don't smoke. 95% of our youth don't smoke. Most of us don't smoke.

We're not advocating that the rights of smokers be ignored. We are advocating that the rights of non-smokers be respected. We think that smokers could wait five more minutes to light up once they leave the airport.

And here's an innovative thought: what about Perth Airport personnel enforcing the no smoking policy and moving smokers away from the front of the airport? We know they can do this: they move us on from the drop off zone, they handle security, they stop people from smoking inside the airport.

ACOSH believes that the shelter and associated policy is a huge dud. But we want to know what you think.

Please take a moment to participate in our online poll by answering a few questions in reference to the Perth Airport and its smoking situation. We will pass on your answers and comments to the Perth Airport. They haven't been interested in listening to us. But we bet they'll be interested in what you have to say. It's your airport, too.

Prisons

The former Minister for Health, Jim McGinty, announced a review of smoking in prisons in 2004. He also made some comments on this during parliamentary debate on the Tobacco Products Control Bill, and made extensive comments to the media on this issue during August 2005.

On January 8, 2006 the Minister for Justice (Prisons), John D'Orazio announced that prisoners will no longer be allowed to smoke in prison cells from August 2007.

In 2008, the Minister for Corrective Services, Margaret Quirk announced a 12 month trial of a smoking ban in one regional prison in Western Australia. ACOSH gave some comments to ABC news on this trial smoking ban at Greenough Regional Prison which can be viewed here.

On 30th June 2009, cells in all prisons became smokefree.

Click on the link to see the Report on the National Summit on Tobacco Smoking in Prisons 2010.

Sporting fields and outdoor events

In December 2005, ACOSH received high level media coverage in relation to calls for sporting fields and outdoor public events (eg rock concerts). Coverage included:

• Headline story, front page of The West Australian (27.12.2005)
• Leading story on multi station radio news bulletins
• Leading story on news programs on four TV stations.

Smoking in Films and Television

ACOSH has been concerned for some time about the prevalence of smoking in films and television. Acting on these concerns, ACOSH made submissions to the Federal Attorney General and the Office of Film and Literature Classification seeking a labelling process to identify productions that have received tobacco industry sponsorship or have excessive levels of cigarette smoking.

Smokefree Homes

ACOSH has campaigned on this issue over some years. There are currently no laws that protect people from being exposed to unwanted second hand smoke in their own homes from a neighbouring tenant/homeowner. It can be a real nuisance whether you're a tenant/homeowner who is sick of smoke seeping in; or if you're trying to protect your investment and avoid cleaning costs from second hand smoke.

Second hand smoke exposure has found to cause serious harm to adults and children. Those who smoke in and around their homes or apartments facilitate the contamination of air quality through the drifting of smoke via balconies, windows, air vents, air conditioning systems, wall cracks, electrical systems and stair and elevator facilities.

Smoking in and around the premises of housing and multi-unit developments highlights the impact of illness and disease for not only the smoker themselves but the community. Financial consequences include costs to cleaning, cost to health, impacts on safety and rental income.

Advocating for smokefree homes and policy changes for smokefree homes, would be the greatest point of enforcement to address the issues surrounded by smoke free homes.

Addressing the issue of smoking in homes and second hand smoke can follow the given suggestions:

• Discussing the issue with the smoker themselves. Make sure it is addressed in a polite and ethical manner. If the conversation results in the smoker to become abusive and angry, just close the conversation and do not resume it at any point after.
• Raise awareness with smokers and the community about the impacts of second hand smoke.
• Informing new home owners about smoke free housing.
• Writing a letter of complaint to the landlord.
• Forming and sending a petition to the landlord to express a community based point to anti-smoking environments. This could potentially result in a by-law that will prohibit smoking in all indoor areas.

A smoke-free multi-unit housing guide, developed by ASH Australia, has been formulated, targeted to home owners, tenants, agents, authorities and governments to assist people in addressing the issues about the exposure to second hand smoke in their own homes in regards to complaints and concerns.

Click here to read a case study from Inner Sydney. It explains the event of a set of apartments that have officially been granted a ban on smoking inside all the residential apartments.

Investment in Tobacco

ACOSH, in partnership with ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), is campaigning to end investments in tobacco companies by federal, state and territory governments, and by major superfunds.

Australian resesarch into pension funds and tobacco investments surveyed CEOs of 282 pension funds and found that tobacco investments are strongly opposed by fund members and regarded as unethical due to the promotion of ill health. Notwithstanding, only 2% of funds surveyed reported that they had a formal policy excluding tobacco investments.  http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/1/35.full

Ethical funds overall outperform mainstream share options, yet investment in tobacco is wide-spread in Australia.

We believe that Government and fund managers should be guided by the Principles of Responsible Investment-including the integration of environmental, social and corporate government principles into the decision-making process.This is especially so when we-both by and through our Governments and personally-pay for the death and disease caused by tobacco companies.

If you want to join our campaign, write to your government and your superfund and ask them these three questions:

1. Do you invest in the tobacco industry?
2. Have you made a determination that investment in tobacco is a socially responsible investment?
3. If so, what was that determination?

Let them know that it is NOT alright with you that we are investing in disreputable companies that peddle death and disease. And let us know how you do.

Tobacco Facts: Why we should end investment in tobacco

Sidepak Campaign

During December 2008 till March 2009, ACOSH along with staff from the WA Tobacco Document Searching Program (WATDSP) conducted a study to monitor the air quality in alfresco areas of cafes and pubs around Perth as part of an advocacy campaign to support the amendments of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill 2008. An air monitor (TSI Sidepak) was used to test the amount of secondhand smoke that employees and patrons are being exposed to. Twenty eight cafes and pubs in various local government areas in and around Perth were visited. ACOSH also tested the amount of secondhand smoke a child would be exposed to in a car with a smoker.

Following the campaign, ACOSH sent out a media release ‘Passive smoking hazardous in Perth cars, cafes and pubs - children at risk' to highlight the findings of the study.

A full report of the campaign can be viewed here.

The Stateline transcript 'Protecting Against 2nd-hand Smoke' can be viewed here.

Further testing is currently being conducted to monitor air quality prior to and after the TPCA Bill is fully implemented.