Ban on smoking in pubs and clubs in Australia

SYDNEY, July 2: A smoking ban took effect today at pubs and clubs in Australia's two most populous states, but it's the timing of the measure that's riling smokers the most.

In future, anyone wanting to light up at pubs and clubs in New South Wales and Victoria has to go outside.

It is the height of winter.

''The weather is against us. Having this in the middle of winter really will have a detrimental effect,'' said John Thorpe, New South Wales president of the Australian Hotels Association.

Clubs have been running television advertisements to entice drinkers to new ''everyone's welcome'' outdoor areas built at a total cost of more than 340 million dollar.

The Panania Diggers club in Sydney's western suburbs has even transformed one of its bowling greens into a smoking area.

Australia has been at the forefront of a near-global push for smoking bans for over a decade, first outlawing smoking in Australian airports, on domestic flights and on some international flights in 1992.

Since then Australian smoking bans have been progressively introduced to trams, trains, buses, department stores, cinemas, theatres, art galleries and restaurants.

First one room in multi-room licensed venues was required to be to be smoke-free, with smoking banned in dining areas or near bars. Later, 50 per cent of indoor space had to be smoke-free, then the bans were extended to 75 per cent of indoor areas of hotels last year.

But some in Australia feel the new law is still too lenient.

Mosman Council, in one of the trendiest and most affluent parts of Sydney on the harbour foreshore, wants smoking banned from pavements, parks and beaches.

REUTERS SG HT1142>