Page 3150 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 20 September 1994
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MR LAMONT (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Housing and Community Services, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (8.47): Madam Speaker, during the course of the debate there were a number of issues raised that I believe need addressing; but at this point I will concentrate on only one of them. There was the question raised about the industrial relations implications of banning smoking in workplaces. I think that Mr Cornwell interjected to say, "The Government is being contradictory in what it is saying, because ACTION bus drivers still smoke while they are in buses". That is not the case. In fact, since 8 August this year there has been a prohibition on bus drivers smoking in a bus either with passengers or without passengers.
Amendment agreed to.
Amendment (by Mr Connolly) agreed to:
Page 2, line 15, definition of "public place", insert "is being" before "used".
MR MOORE (8.48): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to move together amendments Nos 2 and 3 circulated in my name.
Leave granted.
MR MOORE: I move:
Page 2, line 17, after the definition of "public place" insert the following definition:
'"register" means the register established and maintained under section 4B;'.
Page 2, line 17, before the definition of "smoke" insert the following definition:
'"restaurant" means an enclosed public place where the primary business is the sale of food for consumption on the premises;'.
Madam Speaker, this is the nub of the debate. This is where the committee had a difference of opinion with the Government. The Government's response to the committee report did not accept the stance that the committee had taken. I think it is important to go back to some of the basic principles. The most important of those basic principles is that we need to target the areas where there is the greatest problem. That is what the Government's initial Bill failed to do. That is what the committee recommended we ought to do. This clause, setting up the register, and the following amendments provide for a way of doing that. The structure recommended by the committee is that we will say, "The prohibition on smoking will occur in a range of places
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