Monash City Council is hoping to ban smoking in outdoor areas such as cafes and sports grounds. However the city council is anticipating backlash from the Greek Australian community.
As a result of a council meeting on Tuesday night, the council will now go ahead with community consultation on banning smoking in outdoor areas.
Councillor Paul Klisaris initiated the proposal. He stated it was important that local government promote an anti-smoking message, although he anticipated resistance from Greek Australians in the area.
“Greeks have a lot of good qualities, but they also have one negative about them, and that is that they are the biggest whiners on the planet.”
Monash is the first local council in Victoria to consider the ban. The ban has been state law in sporting clubs and cafes in Queensland and New South Wales for years.
Klisaris said since those bans were introduced data has shown an increase in patronage. “Now what does that mean?..It means that people who otherwise wouldn’t go to a cafe outside and enjoy the good weather because they didn’t want to inhale their neighbours’ smoke, all of a sudden were able to do that.”
Community consultation is now under way in the city of Monash. A subcommittee has been formed to make a recommendation to the council. Klisaris expects the recommendation will take place early next year.
(source: neos kosmos)
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