Smoking/Drinking at the Beach

After this extremely hot Sydney weather we have been having at the moment, I thought it was fitting to talk about the rules, laws and regulations in relation to smoking and drinking at the beach. There is a lot of uncertainty and lack of knowledge on this matter and after some research, it is time to outline exactly what is allowed and what isn't allowed on NSW beaches.

At this present moment, in terms of smoking cigarettes at the beach, it varies between councils and states. A mixture of local government and state action has actually led to widespread banning and restrictions on smoking at numerous Australian beaches. The particular states that have actually enacted legislation to make smoking illegal include Queensland (in 2005) and Western Australia (2010). The fact that these are the only 2 states in the whole of Australia is dreadful. I believe that this practice should be completely outlawed on our beaches as they are public places where families attend. It is impossible to escape the smell and is very selfish and disrespectful to other beachgoers. Despite the lack of legislation in NSW for example, there are council regulations in place, e.g. Manly council have placed a ban on smoking at their public beaches. Manly council was actually the second council in the world to legislate a smoking ban on a public beach through council regulations (2004). Since then 14 NSW councils have adopted these same bans. I think that this pro-activeness needs to be mirrored throughout the country or even introducing Commonwealth legislation to provide nationwide bans on smoking at beaches in NSW and eradicate this disgusting behaviour. So therefore, to sum up, smoking at beaches is usually banned, but it ultimately depends on the council the beach resides in.

Furthermore, the drinking of alcohol is also prohibited on most public beaches across NSW councils (such as Manly) and people who do so, can be fined. This means that you cannot drink on the actual beach, but there are areas on the parkside near the beaches that are not prohibited in some councils. Again, this rule and law applies in a council to council basis (as some councils allow for drinking at the beach with the required permit). I believe that both these laws need to be enforced, as it has been reported that most councils have not issued any fines since the inception of the rules. Thus, certain measures need to be in place/introduced to combat these behaviours.

Reference for Text:
http://www.tobaccoinaustralia.org.au/chapter-15-smokefree-environment/15-5-outdoor-areas

Reference for Images:
http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2010/12/25/1225976/190511-beach-smoking.gif
http://www.lbknews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/beer_on_the_beach_Wallpaper_r86or2.jpg