Past Campaigns
Past Campaigns
- Burswood Resort Casino
- Bars/Clubs
- Restaurants/Cafes
- Smokefree Cars
- Fire Safe Cigarettes
- Local Government
- Beaches
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
Burswood Resort Casino
The main gaming room of the Burswood International Resort Casino went smokefree from 21 December 2001. Most of the remainder of the facility from July 2006. However, the Casino operator sought a continuing exemption from the 'Smokefree Enclosed Public Places Regulations' for the 'High Roller Room' and the WA Government granted their request.
Bars/Clubs
Tobacco Facts for Pubs & Clubs (PDF file)
Since 1st July 2006, all pubs, nightclubs and clubs are smokefree in Western Australia. ACOSH continues to monitor compliance.
There has been a positive outcome as a result of the new smoking restrictions. A survey conducted by the Cancer Council WA showed that nearly 80 per cent of smokers have not been discouraged from going out to pubs and clubs and non-smokers are now going to pubs and clubs more often as a result of the new smoke free environment.
Restaurants/Cafes
On July 31st 2006, all indoor public places in Western Australia became smokefree.
ACOSH strongly supports the Tobacco Products Control Amendment (TPCA) Bill 2008, which was tabled in the WA Parliament by the Independent Member for Alfred Cove, Dr Janet Woollard in November 2008. The Bill seeks to protect the health of the public and it includes all al fresco dining areas in WA to become smokefree. As part of an advocacy campaign to support the Bill, ACOSH conducted a study to test the air quality in alfresco dining areas around Perth. The Bill passed on 17th September 2009. Full implementation must be completed 12 months from proclamation.
Click here for more information on WA legislation and the TPCA Bill 2008.
Smokefree Cars
Both the AMA and ACOSH campaigned on this issue over some years. In 2009, ACOSH conducted a study to test the amount of secondhand smoke a child would be exposed to in a car with a smoker which supports the amendments to the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill 2008. From September 2010, smoking in cars with children became prohibited in Western Australia.
Click here for information on WA legislation and the TPCA Bill 2008.
Fire Safe Cigarettes
Cigarette-caused fires kill an average of 14 people a year in Australia, and cost around $80m in damage. There is also evidence that many fires are started from lit cigarettes being thrown from car windows, with the NSW Fire Service estimating that around 4% of all cigarettes thrown from car windows start some kind of fire. Tobacco companies put chemicals in cigarette paper to make them smoulder longer. Cigarettes can easily be made more self-extinguishing by removing or reducing these chemicals.
ACOSH along with other tobacco control agencies campaigned towards an appropriate national standard for the requirement of tobacco companies to produce "reduced ignition propensity" cigarettes (cigarettes that are self-extinguishing). The implementation of fire-safe cigarettes will not only save lives and reduce the number of people who suffer burn injuries, but will also reduce the substantial damage costs and an estimated 4,000 fires each year caused by discarded cigarettes.
All State and Territory Ministers for Fire and Emergency Services in Australia and their Fire Chiefs strongly support the introduction of a fire safe standard for cigarettes.
The tobacco industry lobbied against sensible regulation to introduce a standard for reduced fire risk cigarettes.
In September 2008, the Australian Government issued the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Reduced Fire Risk Cigarettes) Regulations 2008.
Fire-safe cigarettes became compulsory from September 2010.
Local Government
By making areas under council control smokefree, local governments can make a huge difference in the safety, health and cleanliness of the community. This includes areas such as beaches, sporting facilities, parks, playgrounds, outdoor al fresco areas and public events like concerts. ACOSH welcomes and supports the decisions of local governments taking action in tobacco control.
Prior to the implementation of the TPCA Bill 2008 in September 2010, there was significant movement by local governments going smoke-free in a range of different settings, as follows:
- Rockingham - smokefree al fresco areas, from July 2008
- Fremantle - smokefree al fresco from 15 August 2008
- Perth - smok-free al fresco from 1 July 2009
- Joondalup - decision regarding smokefree al fresco and other areas
- Vincent decision on smokefree al fresco dining from 1 January 2009
- Geraldton/Greenough decision on smokefree al fresco and public places
City of Cockburn was the first West Australian local government authority to decide on a comprehensive smokefree policy.
The full implementation of the TPCA Bill 2008 in September 2010 seeks to protect the health of the public by making all al fresco dining areas; patrolled beaches; and playgrounds smokefree.
Beaches
In November 2008, Dr Janet Woollard, Independent Member for Alfred Cove, introduced a Bill to WA Parliament which outlined a set of amendments to the Tobacco Products Control Act 2006. It includes laws which has made patrolled beaches smokefree. The Bill passed on 17th September 2009 and was fully implemented on 23rd September 2010.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
In October 2003 the ACCC announced that it was investigating whether to take action against tobacco companies for using misleading labels claiming cigarettes are "mild" or "light". In May 2005 The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced that it had obtained court-enforceable undertakings from British American Tobacco Australia Limited and Philip Morris Limited to remove 'light', 'mild' and similar descriptors from their products.
In the ACCC's view, such health claims for low yield cigarettes were likely to have breached section 52 (misleading and deceptive conduct provision) and other sections of the Trade Practices Act 1974, for reasons including the fact that it was generally known that smokers can, and do, compensate for claimed lower yields by smoking cigarettes in ways that obtain higher yields of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than indicated on the packets.
In response to the ACCC's concerns, BAT and Philip Morris provided court-enforceable undertakings to the ACCC to:
- Remove 'light' and 'mild' descriptors and related numbers from all cigarettes produced for Australian consumers (Philip Morris from 31 July 2005 and BAT from 31 May 2005)
- Not make claims about the health benefits of low yield cigarettes when compared to high yield cigarettes, and
- Pay the ACCC to fund anti-smoking information campaigns and programs concerning low yield cigarettes.
The ACCC had been seeking an industry wide solution to this important consumer health issue, however Imperial Tobacco Australia Limited refused to cooperate with the ACCC. On 22nd June 2010, a law that bans tobacco manufacturers from using the terms "light," "low," or "mild" in tobacco product labeling went into effect.