New ‘un-Australian’ campaign launched asking people to ‘dob in’ smokers lighting up in spots where it’s banned
- In Queensland it is illegal to smoke in a car with a child under 16 years inside
- Queensland Police on average hands out 15 fines a month to people caught
- Officials are now asking Queenslanders to help the government catch more
Australians are being told to dob in people who smoke in their own cars other public places where indulging in the habit is banned.
Officials from Queensland Health are calling on the public to report anyone smoking in places where it is banned.
These include shop entrances, public transport waiting points, children’s playgrounds, shopping malls and cars containing children under 16.
Australians are being told to dob in people who smoke in their own cars
Queensland Police on average hands out 15 fines a month to people caught smoking in a car with a child, with the penalty set at $266.
Kaye Pulsford of Queensland Heath urged people to help the government catch more culprits, reported the Courier Mail.
She said: ‘How can a caring, considerate, loving adult smoke inside a very confined space with a child under 16 inside? What are they thinking?’
‘This is not about whether they smoke – I understand the horrible nature of this addiction.
‘It’s about where they smoke and its potential to impact on other people.’
She said that all exposure to tobacco smoke is harmful and that it particularly poses a risk to babies.
According to the Cancer Council, one person in Queensland dies every week from passive smoking.
Queensland Police on average hands out 15 fines a month to people caught smoking behind the wheel of their cars, with the penalty set at $266