From this Saturday, Curtin staff and students will have just 50 days to butt out before all its Western Australian campuses go smoke-free.
From 1 January 2012, smoking on any of Curtin’s WA campuses including Bentley, Kalgoorlie, Margaret River, Murray Street and Shenton Park, as well as student and University supplied housing and vehicles will be banned.
Ian Callahan Vice President, Corporate Services, said the move to make Curtin smoke-free reflected the University’s role as a leader in health sciences research and teaching, as well as a desire to meet the expectations of its community.
“More than 90 per cent of staff and students at Curtin do not smoke,” Mr Callahan said.
“Curtin has provided a range of support options for staff and students wishing to stop smoking this year in the lead up to going smoke-free and will continue to do so next year.”
Mr Callahan said there would be an enforcement strategy in place in which a $100 fine may be applicable under the Curtin University Land and Traffic By-Laws, however warning notices will be issued initially.
“There will be a comprehensive awareness campaign, and we also hope peer pressure and peer reporting will alert people to the smoke-free initiative and the enforcement strategy,” he said.
“We will also be displaying clearly visible signposting on all of Curtin’s Western Australian campuses indicating to visitors that Curtin is a non-smoking environment.”
Mr Callahan said the response to Curtin going smoke-free had been overwhelmingly positive from staff, students and the wider community, with several other Australian universities also announcing plans to ban smoking on its campuses from next year.
Notes to editors:
The Cancer Council of Western Australia has found:
• In 2010, 11.5 per cent of Western Australians aged 16 and over smoked on a daily basis, with a further 3.3 per cent indicating they were occasional smokers.
• Smoking prevalence in Western Australia has continually declined since 1984 across males and females of all age groups
• Tobacco kills approximately 15,000 Australians each year, and is responsible for 82 per cent of all drug-caused deaths.
Contacts:
Denise Cahill, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 1931, Mobile: 0401 103 683, Email: d.cahill@curtin.edu.au
Web: http://curtin.edu.au
