TOBACCO PRODUCTS REGULATION (FURTHER RESTRICTIONS) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 16 February 2012.)

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (17:57): I rise briefly to speak on the Tobacco Products Regulation (Further Restrictions) Amendment Bill 2011. I would like to thank the office of the Minister for Health for the background information provided and, in particular, Marina Bowshall from Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (DASSA), who was kind enough to provide a briefing on the contents of this simple bill.

The Greens acknowledge that tobacco smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death, hospitalisation and disease in Australia. It is no surprise then that the Greens have long supported measures to reduce the harmful effect of tobacco smoking in our society. In fact, this bill before us echoes that of my Greens colleague Mark Parnell, who introduced the Tobacco Products Regulation (Prohibition on Smoking in Children's Recreational Parks) Amendment Bill back, I believe, in 2007.

That bill, of course, sought to end smoking in and around playground areas, and keep children away from the potential health problems caused by both passive smoking and also the modelling of seeing role models smoking. The Greens have also most recently supported the plain packaging of cigarette products at a federal level, and I know that is intended to reduce the allure of cigarettes through the marketing of those products.

The purpose of the bill before us today is fully consistent with the Greens' work on minimising the effects of passive smoking on public health. This bill proposes to ban smoking in a number of public areas to protect the community from the dangers of passive smoking. It proposes, firstly, to ban smoking in public spaces, particularly those areas used by public transport commuters. This is a great initiative because, as members would be aware, catching public transport can mean a tightly congregated bunch of people and exposing them to second-hand smoke is harmful to public health, and can also act as a disincentive to use that public transport.

I am always reminded of a woman whom I once knew and who has since passed away. She had cystic fibrosis and would actually get sicker trying to get into a hospital than was necessary because, of course, there would be a congregation of smokers as she tried to access that health service. That was some decades ago, and she was certainly a leading activist in this area of raising awareness of the harmful effects to some people of passive smoking, that is, it is not a long-term effect but almost immediate.

I understand that this bill will have implications for particular events such as Christmas pageants—not only the annual Credit Union Christmas Pageant but potentially those smaller pageants such as the Norwood and Glenelg pageants. I certainly look forward to taking my child to a smoke-free event where not only is there no longer the danger of passive smoking but also no danger of my child being struck in the face with some ash, which, certainly in Rundle Mall, is often quite a difficult area to traverse if you have a small child who is right at hand level.

I commend this bill to the council.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

[Sitting suspended from 18:01 to 19:48]