Parramatta Advertiser, 7 September 2009

By Di Bartok

THE CASE AGAINST SMOKING

* Yasmin George, Western Sydney Cancer Advocacy Network

EVER since cancer survivor Yasmin George had to hold her breath while walking down Church St one evening, she has avoided the restaurant strip at night.

Ms George and her husband, Luke, could not believe the amount of cigarette smoke that enveloped them as they walked through Parramatta’s eat street.

While Ms George, a breast cancer survivor and an asthmatic, knows she can avoid dining outdoors in Parramatta restaurants, she resents that pedestrians are not being considered.

``There is no way to avoid the smoke when you are passing through the outdoor dining area, especially as there is not much room outside some restaurants and you have to weave through the tables and the people lining up,’’ Ms George told the Advertiser.

``I cannot enjoy outdoor dining in Parramatta, even where there are a few tables for smoking, as the smoke drifts over. The outdoor spaces are not that large.’’

Ms George said since smoking inside clubs and pubs had been banned she was able to enjoy going to those venues.

But she said she had ceased enjoying dining outside in restaurants which allowed smoking.

``Restaurants say they would lose business if they banned smoking but they don’t realise that many non-smokers are not going there because it is not enjoyable for them,’’ Ms George said.

As a Western Sydney Cancer Advocacy Network committee member, Ms George is disappointed Parramatta Council is not reconsidering banning outdoor smoking.

``It is good that council is looking at the so-called `table creep’ . . . but they also should be looking at tottally banning outdoor smoking as other councils have.’’

THE CASE FOR SMOKING

* Lorraine Wearne, Parramatta councillor

SMOKERS are among the ``most discriminated members of the community’’ says Parramatta deputy lord mayor Lorraine Wearne.

As a recovering smoker, on the wagon for the past five weeks, Cr Wearne said she understood concerns of non-smokers but felt smokers also had rights.

Cr Wearne said heroin users had more rights than smokers with injecting rooms being set up while smokers were banned from many outdoor dining areas in Sydney.

``Smoking is legal so it is unfair to try to ban it totally in outdoor dining areas,’’ Cr Wearne told the Advertiser amid debate on whether Parramatta restaurants should have a total non-smoking policy.

``It is hypocritical for the State Government to be saying it is a bad thing when they are making money from smokers.’’

Cr Wearne said authorities and the community often ``bent over backwards’’ tolerating people who broke the law by drinking too much before driving home while smokers were made to feel like outlaws.

Another councillor, John Chedid, a smoker, said banning smoking altogether in outdoor dining would harm Parramatta restaurants.

``In council’s survey of restaurants, more than half said their businesses would be adversely affected if smoking was banned,’’ Cr Chedid said.

``Restaurants have to have some tables for smoking and some non-smoking. Council has not had any patrons complaining about smoking in restaurants outdoors but if people want us to look at it again, perhaps we should.’’

He agreed with Cr Wearne that smokers were unfairly discriminated against, although he stressed that all restaurants should have outdoor areas set aside for non-smokers.

Parramatta Advertiser (7 September 2009)