The partial smoking ban which has just come into force in Queensland national parks is sure to generate some lively discussion among grey nomads and other travellers.
The new restrictions applied to people near picnic tables and barbecues to toilet blocks, jetties and information shelters in the state’s 272 national parks and campsites.
“These new rules will make the air fresher where people are congregating in our national parks,” said National Parks Minister, Dr Steven Miles. “I also hope it will reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter and reduce the amount of unintentional wildfires rangers deal with.”
Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young acknowledged that other states had enacted a total ban on smoking in national parks, but said it was important to focus on areas people congregate … and she suggested the bans would help prevent passive smoking.
“We know that 2% of those 3,700 Queenslanders who die each year from smoking have never actually smoked themselves,” she told the ABC. “The issue is really about people not smoking where they’ll impact other people who don’t smoke.”
Park rangers can issue on-the-spot fines of $243 for people caught smoking within 10 metres of facilities.
* Do you support the tighter restrictions on smoking in national parks? Comment below
Fantastic! Hope the rest of Australia follow. When I’m out in the beautiful National Parks there is nothing worse than breathing in someone’s cigarette smoke.
Yes, strongly agree. However, I cannot see how it will be policed because there are so few Rangers on the ground these days and they do not tend to sit around the areas where smoking is banned. I foresee some nasty situations where smokers are asked by other visitors to not smoke, and the smokers reacting aggressively knowing full well there is absolutely nothing that anyone can do about it. .
I am a non smoker BUT smoking is a legal past time and we should not be banning it in the open air. If the government want to completely ban it then ban it and stop selling fags at all . No the government wont do that because of all the taxes they get from tobacco products
Can someone please tell me how forcing smokers away from shelters and picnic tables, which usually have hard dirt or concrete flooring, and off into the bush to smoke will reduce the number of fires? As far as I can see, that’s bogus reasoning and, dare I say it, a smoke screen (pun…) for the nanny state. Smoking is unhealthy and we should be doing all we can as a society to encourage people not to smoke, but this over-regulation and punitive action will not achieve a thing except get more people’s backs up. I am also sick and tired of the vilification of smokers – most of whom are responsible and these days do smoke away from non-smokers. Another QLD Government attempt at grandstanding.