Tobacco: New smoking bans riddled with loopholes

Restaurant traders in Melbourne’s south-east are banning meals from their alfresco menus in favour of allowing punters to smoke. Under new laws enforced by the state government on Monday, smoking is banned from nearly all Victoria’s outdoor dining areas. The changes have left restaurant owners up in arms, with some banning serving outdoor meals at certain times of the day to allow smokers to light up. Giorgio Sfrantzis, acting manager of the Kentro Oakleigh, a popular Greek restaurant in the middle of the mall, said the laws had sparked tension between traders. While some traders wanted to ban smoking altogether, so they can legally serve food outdoors all day, others were creating designated smoking areas, which is allowing smoke to drift onto diners at nearby restaurants. New legislation outlined smoking is only allowed in restaurants and pubs who can create four metre buffers between smokers and diners.

Age, 03/08/2017, Page 19; Age, 03/08/2017, Page

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