Queensland Smoking Laws go Unenforced

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Beach smokers hitch ride on apathy wave
Joel Dullroy, Gold Coast bureau
21feb06 ONLY eight people have been fined for smoking on beaches since new laws were introduced to stop people lighting up in public areas.

Smoking between the flags became illegal last March and offenders were threatened with $150 on-the-spot fines.

Nearly a year later, Gold Coast councillors said the laws had made little impact and called for more signs and more inspections to enforce the bans.

Queensland Health figures show a total of 771 people have been fined for smoking in public areas since last March.

The majority were fined for lighting up within 4m of a building entrance or at sports stadiums, 20 were caught smoking within 10m of a children's playground, and seven were fined for ignoring no-smoking areas on licensed premises.

Surfers Paradise councillor Susie Douglas, whose ward contains some of the state's busiest flagged beaches, said smokers were flouting laws on the beach.

"It's a joke. If they (the State Government) are going to bring in legislation, they need to back it up with fines and inspections," Cr Douglas said.

"They haven't put up any signs to tell people it is illegal. A lot of people who come to our beaches are tourists who might not know. It was a great idea, but they haven't done anything about it."

She said beach cleaners collected thousands of cigarette butts a week from the sand. One sweep netted enough butts to fill 12 wheelie bins, she said.

Queensland Health said it had employed 80 "environmental health officers" to enforce the laws across the state, and spent $1.5 million a year on a "comprehensive enforcement program".

"This is by far the largest tobacco enforcement budget committed by any Queensland government," a Queensland Health spokesman said.

A spokesman for Health Minister Stephen Robertson said he believed the figures showed the laws were working.

"There is no evidence to suggest they are not working," the spokesman said.

Surf Live Saving Queensland said the problem had been "reduced but not eradicated", and said its members were powerless to stop offenders.

"Lifesavers have taken it upon themselves to inform people of the laws," a spokesman said. "They can tell people, but they can't issue fines."

"We don't collect statistics on smoking. Anecdotally there has been a reduction, but it is still happening."

Visiting beachgoer Silvana Pallis, from Melbourne, said the laws needed to be enforced more vigorously.

"I haven't even seen any signs," she said. "People need to be made more aware of it. It needs to be stipulated, especially in areas where there are kids around."