Over the last 10 years, many Australian workplaces have become smoke-free. The impetus for this came initally from a landmark ruling by the Federal Court (the Morling Judgment, 1991) which concluded that the evidence supported the notion that passive smoke harmed non-smokers. In May 2001, Marlene Sharp, a non-smoking bar worker was awarded common law damages for her throat cancer, due to years of passive smoking.

• Information sheet: Passive smoking
• Information sheet: Tobacco and the law  

Smoke-free workplaces in South Australia

SA legislation passed in October 2004, now requires that all enclosed South Australian workplaces, except in licensed hospitality venues where bans will be phased in over the next three years. Information about the legislation is available from http://www.tobaccolaws.sa.gov.au/.   

Resources for understanding South Australia's smoke-free workplace legislation.

Every year, people in South Australia are surveyed about a range of health issues. Included in the questions asked relating to tobacco and smoking, are those investigating whether or not their workplaces and workstations are smoke-free. It also records workers' preferences for smoking bans.

From this, we know that the majority (and an increasing propotion) of people in SA work in smoke-free workplaces, and that a mojority prefer that there are smoking bans in the workplace.

[See Chapter 10 of Tobacco Control Research and Evaluation Report Vol 1, 1998-2001, for a summary of this research]

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Australian smoke-free workplace links

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
Australia is the primary tobacco control advocacy organisation in Australia. Their website provides a wealth of links of interest to workplaces, and about the rationale for the introduction of smoke-free policies.

Australian smoke-free legislation links

ASH summary of National Tobacco Legislation

Australian Legal Information Institute [www.austlii.edu.au]
provides access to Australian legislation, cases etc

National Public Health Partnership Legislators Tool Kit [www.dhs.vic.gov.au/nphp/workprog/lrn/legtools.htm]
for National response to passive smoking in enclosed workplaces and public places