BRISBANE building owners have moved to ban smoking in their complexes, a city management group says.
Archers Property Management director Andrew Staehr said building owners across the state had passed by-laws to stop people lighting up, with several in mixed-use developments in inner-city Brisbane.
“We manage a few buildings that have introduced a by-law to ban smoking and it has worked well where you have the co-operation of owners and on-site managers,” he said.
NSW finalised public consultation on changes to its strata laws last month and most submissions were complaints about smoking.
Cancer Council Queensland chief communications officer Anne Savage said she hoped the Queensland State Government would be as progressive.
“Exposure to second-hand smoke can increase a person’s risk of tobacco-related illness and death,” Ms Savage said.
Unit Owners Association of Queensland vice president Paul Cassels said purchasers should read the community rules and actively participate in the body corporate.
“A lot of people have to understand what they purchase into; they have rules and regulations that can be enforced,” Mr Cassels said.
“Community attitude has changed dramatically … In the past people that didn’t smoke weren’t able to have a say in breathing other people’s smoke.”
Mr Staehr said it was hard to prove who had been smoking so policing the by-laws was a problem.
“The difficulty is if you have someone who doesn’t want to play by these rules,” he said.
“If buildings want to go down the path of making themselves smoke-free, educating occupants about why is a good idea.”
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Sumycin