TAMWORTH’S CBD is officially smoke-free just in time for the country music festival, after council erected the signs enforcing the new rules yesterday.
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Anyone caught smoking could be slapped with a $110 on-the-spot fine if they refuse to butt out – but Tamworth Regional Council said the move was about education, not revenue raising.
TRC’s communications manager Caroline Lumley told The Leader council rangers would prefer to use a “friendly warning” rather than a fine.
“However, if you’ve been politely told you’re not supposed to be smoking and you disregard the instructions, or are deliberately being difficult, the rangers will proceed to give a fine,” Ms Lumley said.
“It’s not about revenue raising or being heavy-handed, it’s about making Tamworth’s CBD and the country music festival smoke-free, because that’s the norm these days.”
The ban stretches from Peel St, between Bourke St and Hill St, and Fitzroy St, between Kable Ave and Marius St, and covers a big portion of the Tamworth Country Music Festival’s footprint.
TRC mayor Col Murray said the public overwhelmingly supported the move and had an expectation for a smoke-free festival environment.
“Given the country music festival’s reputation is as a fun-filled family event, it is fantastic news that the majority of event areas will now be smoke-free,” Cr Murray said.
“Prohibiting smoking in outdoor areas not only reduces people’s exposure to second-hand smoke but helps make smoking less visible and less socially acceptable.”
TRC will run an awareness campaign about the smoking ban throughout the event.
“We have our ‘nobody smokes here anymore’ campaign signage appearing on festival big screens, stickers on rubbish bins and on information hand-outs,” Cr Murray said.
Cr Murray said the council’s decision to make the CBD and festival smoke-free had been backed by NSW Health.
NSW Health regulatory policy manager Audrey Maag said tobacco health inspectors would be in Tamworth on January 19 and 20 to make sure everyone was abiding by the NSW government’s Smoke-free Environment Act.
“During the festival there are lots of children and lots of people around with limited opportunities to avoid second-hand smoke,” Ms Maag said.
“Our inspectors will be making sure people aren’t being exposed to second-hand smoke.”
The act bans smoking within four metres of the entry of public buildings, bus stops and other transport hubs, parks and outdoor dining areas (including pop-up food stands).
Ms Maag said inspectors had the ability to issue $300 fines to people breaching the act, but “it would depend on the situation”.
“Our goal is to achieve compliance – so sometime that means warnings and other times it will be an on-the-spot fine,” she said.
