Smoking Ban in ACT Schools

Oh come on bonfire – do you really think there’s any votes for the opposition in allowing college students to smoke on civil liberties grounds?

It’s not a “jackboot leftist” agenda forcing this issue (keen as you are to lump everything you disagree with on them). It’s just the usual bunch of hand-wringing “think of the children!” health nazis. Such types come from political persuasions of all stripes.

i like the irony of the govt that introduced human rights legislation, methodically strips those rights away one by one.

the right to liberty and to go about your personal business without interference is ignored by this dictate.

if you have a lunch break or any other break (which are mandated by OH&S legislation) then what you do in that time is your choice.

this jackbooting bunch of leftists need to go.

Since my major asthma attack, I don’t smoke anymore. It caught me and a lot of people off guard to be honest.

However, if a child under 18yo is smoking, it isn’t a school issue, it is a parental issue.

If parents are buying their children cigarettes then they need to be reported for child endangerment or something along those lines.

There are more important issues which need to be dealt with by ACTDET, and smoking isn’t one of them. Teachers have other things to deal with than to police smoking.

I support enthusiastically any action to rub out the filthy habit. Of course there should be no smoking in schools, for passive smoking OH&S reasons if for no other.

It’s not a human right any more than it is a human right to spit at passers-by.

While I agree with Nyssa that there’s plenty worse probably happening and needing a response, it’s something positive that can be done.

Sorry, had to say this:

Let’s worry less about smoking in schools – it’s more the students than anyone btw.

This is especially so when we have classes being taught by teachers who aren’t qualified in that subject or who haven’t been near that area since Uni. For instance – PE teaching maths, science or food, Maths teachers in English/SOSE and my personal favourite: anyone teaching a language who doesn’t have qualifications.

Yes, smoking is so much more important Mr. Barr. I’d fire your Strategic Management Planning team and hire people who actually know what they are doing because your current lot are crap.

When you don’t have the staff to teach certain subjects but expect the 19th hour to be implemented immediately – thus knobbling any chance of extra staffing to cover said classes – what do you expect?

Rant over.

I like how it is expected of teachers, with everything else they have to do during the course of a day, to enforce this shite.

Besides, the amount of kids I have caught smoking (high school) on school grounds is ridiculous.

Wasn’t there a fine to be imposed on ANYONE who smoked on Govt property? Why aren’t the smoke-nazi’s out there enforcing that? The kids parents would soon deal with the issue (as parents should) when the $20K or so fine turned up.

Why not just have designated smoking areas? Less hassle for the poor bloody teachers who are going to start enforcing this.

Once upon a time it was the kids that had to sneak behind the buildings for a smoke, now it is the teachers. Oh, the irony.

GnT is shocked that people believe that Mummy Government shouldn’t stick their noses in every aspect of our lives? GnT needs to broaden his/her horizons.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!

WTF? My post went AWOL?

Kramer, cigarettes are already 75% tax. ADF personnel get them for $3-4.

As for smoking in your own house, who’s going to police it? Hrmmm…

“I say triple the price of cigarettes (more tax revenue please) AND ban smoking everywhere except at home (assuming no one under 18 lived there…)”

Motion seconded!

My step-daughter goes to Copeland college. Apparently, according to her, everybody smokes in the open regardless of age. I went there to pick her up one day and sure enough she was right. I pointed at a couple of girls smoking and she said they were only 16. I saw at least two staff members walk past and do nothing.
Not much point in legislating things if nobody gives a crap.

Hi – –
Yep Should have happened years ago 🙂
Schools are educational institutions that should be setting an example of how NOT to kill yourself.
Allowing staff and “18 year olds” to smoke can be construed as tacit approval, this sends the wrong message.
Sure it is outside – AND?- Why does that make it better? You walk past and carcinogenic/cytotoxic compounds are still available to breath in –
School grounds are frequented by… CHILDREN…. and they should not be exposed to this disgusting, health destroying habit in the school area.
Let them get it at home like everyone else 😛

I say triple the price of cigarettes (more tax revenue please) AND ban smoking everywhere except at home (assuming no one under 18 lived there…)

That is all 🙂

nice. P1,
it was actually outside somewhere, but there could have been more in the teachers’ lounge I guess.
Im sure that would be an interesting position for Ms Dunne and her political party, bong rooms for teachers to avoid cigarette smoking and to aid in relieving pressures of the job, leading to :
really chilled out teachers,
an influx of keen teachers to the ACT, and…well, there just isnt the comparative data to extrapolate to possible learning outcomes for students in the bong smoking teachers lounge schools, time for a bold experiment in the ACT?

I think that this Liberal Vicki Dunne says some teachers need to smoke to reduce stress… and this …the 1st thing i found lying about was a bong… may be related.

I remember coming from a Victorian school that banned students from smoking to an ACT school. the 1st thing i found lying about was a bong.
“things are different here I guess” I thunk.

Nice plattitude snahon. Civil responsibilites where? If they’re not smoking inside and they’re of legal age – where’s the problem?

I’m sure that 18 yr olds give the odd durrie to the underage kids – but banning the cigs in colleges would have very little influence on that, IMO.

With civil liberties comes civil obligations AD.

yet another breach of civil liberties.