STUDENTS at Alexandra Hills TAFE will be allowed to smoke in designated areas at the Windemere Road campus despite calls from the Cancer Council for a smoking ban.
The Cancer Council called on all Queensland universities, TAFEs and training organisations to go entirely smoke free, after QUT announced a ban on smoking today, World No Tobacco Day.
QUT’s Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses will go completely smoke-free from July 1, inline with a ban at TAFE SOuth Bank.
A spokesman for TAFE said the unilateral ban was not introduced at the Alex Hills campus and nor was it likely to be in the near future.
“TAFE Queensland campuses already operate as non-smoking zones with the exception of dedicated smoking areas in accordance with the law,” he said.
“Designated smoking areas are located well away from classrooms, work and common areas to ensure safety for staff and students.
“We will continue to support and encourage students wanting to quit.
"There are designated areas at the campus for smoking but it is difficult to patrol large areas, (such as at Alex Hills campus).
"South Bank campus has a smoke-free policy and we are working towards that at other campuses."
The ban can’t be enforced by police or penalties but signs have been erected in a bid to discourage smokers.
Alex Hills TAFE students, both non-smokers and smokers, said they wanted smoking areas to remain at the campus.
Certificate II electrical technology student Jedd O’Brien said he believed a comprehensive ban was taking away people’s freedom and said the smoking areas at the college were generous and always clean.
Hairdressing student Charmone Holiday said she did not think a unilateral ban would be put into effect at Alex Hills.
“I think my friends who smoke would leave,” she said.
Queensland's smoke free laws are the world’s most progressive and will be introduced on September 1.
The new laws will ban smoking at public transport waiting points, pedestrian malls, aged care facilities, specified national parks and at or near children’s organised sporting events and skate parks in Queensland.
Cancer Council Queensland CEO Professor Jeff Dunn said making universities and education centres smoke free encouraged smokers to quit, deterred young people taking up the habit and protected students from harmful dangers of second-hand smoke.
“Today, World No Tobacco Day, we’re calling on other education and training organisations – including universities and TAFE facilities – to put the health of their staff and students first," he said.
“A ban on smoking at and near universities protects visitors, staff and students from second-hand smoke – which kills around one Queenslander a day."
Earlier this month, Cancer Council called for the consideration of a generational phase-out of smoking, banning cigarettes for all children born after 2001.
About 12per cent of Queensland adults smoke daily – 50,000 fewer people than in 2014 - and about 3700 Queenslanders die from a tobacco-related disease each year.
About 370 of these deaths are caused by second-hand smoke exposure.
