By ALESHA CAPONE
HOBSONS Bay City Council has not issued any fines to people smoking at beaches or near playgrounds almost 18 months after bringing anti-tobacco laws in.
During May 2011 the council voted to prohibit smoking at Altona and Williamstown beaches and children’s playgrounds.
Anyone caught lighting up could be fined $200 by council employees.
However the council’s business and finance director, Glenn O’Sullivan, said no-one had been fined for smoking at the municipality’s seaside or playgrounds during the past 18 months.
“Council officers inspect beaches and playgrounds regularly, providing information to visitors of these popular places on the spaces where smoking is prohibited,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
“At this stage, the council is not employing additional officers to enforce the smoking bans.
“The council will continue to focus on educating people on the non-smoking areas and the impact cigarette smoke can have on others in these areas, particularly children.”
Mr O’Sullivan said the council would work with Quit Victoria to deliver a series of seminars to assist smokers to quit in the lead-up to World No Tobacco Day on 31 May 2013.
“The council has been actively involved in the State Government’s Tobacco Protocol, which regulates retail tobacco sales, smoke-free dining, smoking in the workplace and sales to minors,” he said.
Mr O’Sullivan said Hobsons Bay City Council officers had detected 10 sales of cigarettes to minors in the past three years.
“These sales have occurred across the municipality and vendors were issued with penalty infringement notices.
Quit Victoria Executive Director Fiona Sharkie said smoke-free areas were important for a number of reasons.
“They remove cues which prompt quitters to relapse, protect the community from secondhand smoke and protect children from being exposed to smoking behaviours,” she said.
“In areas such as beaches and playgrounds, they also help to reduce butt litter, the single largest contributor to litter in Australia.”
