A leading health advocacy group says a regional WA shire is leading the way in de-normalising smoking by moving forward with a cigarette ban in parts of its town centre.
The Shire of Collie in south-west Western Australia is proposing to fine people who are caught smoking cigarettes or vapes within designated areas of its town centre, public parks and near places that cater for young children.
Shire president Sarah Stanley said the change would be around specific areas that caused impact to people as they went about their daily business and enjoyed the town with their family.
"Sometimes it is impacted by people who are smoking in those sorts of thoroughfares," she said.
Cancer Council figures from 2021 show almost 11 per cent of the population in South West WA smoked, just above the state average of 9.9 per cent.
Cancer Council WA Make Smoking History manager Libby Jardine said Collie was leading the way in regional WA with its steps to de-normalise smoking.
She said research was clear that second-hand smoking was dangerous.
"Second-hand smoke can damage your respiratory system, your cardiovascular system and it can be really detrimental to little people with little lungs and little hearts as well," she said.
Smoking is already banned at a state level in several places including shopping centres and restaurants.
"Local councils are really well positioned to build on that state legislation and to further de-normalise smoking and to create healthy environments," Ms Jardine said.
Ban wins council endorsement
Ms Stanley said the council voted on Tuesday night for its chief executive to begin changing the local law.
But she said public consultation would need to happen first.
"That will probably be the longer part of the process," she said.
The new law would include fines for anyone caught smoking within the designated areas, but Ms Stanley said she believed it would be enforced by the public.
"If there's signage around where it's quite clear that this ... is not a place that you are able to smoke in then people are empowered to say 'hey, can you move to another place'," Ms Stanley said.
"This is really just to make it more pleasant for people to move around in their community."
Erik Mellegers, who runs a bike shop in the CBD, said he was supportive of the measure if it would make the area more family friendly.
"As a parent and having two young kids, definitely protecting the health of my kids is important," he said.
He said he had already noticed a decrease in the number of people smoking in the town's centre over the past decade.
"Previously if someone walked past the front of the shop and they're smoking you would smell it in the shop," he said.
"It used to happen half a dozen times a day without fail.
"It's not as big of an issue as it used to be 10-15 years ago but there could still be improvements."
