Public service ban on smoking

[Violet_Crumble]

Just wondering if anyone here thinks this new rule is just a bit draconian. While the article says it's not starting till later in the year, we saw DITR people walking across the road to have smokes today so that bit of it's already started. The department that's brought this in is just down the road from where I work and in the same building as the Republic, where we tend to go for coffee and the occassional smoke (hi to Sabina if yr reading this!). And people from other departments would be sitting and smoking within 15 metres of DITR. What are they going to do? Walk among the tables and inspect our passes to make sure we're not from DITR?

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The days of ducking outside for a quick cigarette during working hours are quickly coming to an end for public servants under a new edict issued yesterday.
A blanket ban on smoking is to be introduced in the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, setting a precedent for all public service departments.

The head of the department, Mark Paterson, informed all staff of the new policy in an email yesterday, saying that the ban would apply when the department moved to its new head office in Binara Street, Civic, in October.

He said the ban would apply to all employees while they were on duty, apart from official meal breaks.

"Under this policy, no DITR employee would be permitted to smoke during the working day," he said.

http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=470033&category=general%20news&m=3&y=2006