Victorian universities set to become smoke-free

Victorian universities set to become smoke-free

This article may be out of date. Please refer to the Good Universities Guide blog for the latest updates in the tertiary sector.

Following in the footsteps of Western Australia’s universities, all Victorian university campuses will soon be smoke-free. Swinburne University of Technology began the movement in 2013 when it banned smoking on its campuses, with the state’s remaining universities soon to follow suit.

The University of Melbourne implemented its new smoke-free policy to coincide with ‘World Cancer Day’ on 4 February. The university will phase in the ban over the next 12 months, starting with the creation of designated smoking areas. Monash University is also undertaking a two-phased approach, with smoking permitted in designated points this year, and has scheduled a complete ban from 2015.

RMIT and La Trobe universities will launch their own smoke-free policies on ‘World No Tobacco Day’ on 31 May, while Federation University Australia (formerly the University of Ballarat) plans to have phased out smoking by mid-next year. Meanwhile, Deakin University is planning to be smoke-free as early as the end of 2014, with the university having first voiced its intentions in mid-2013 when Victorian health organisations called on the state’s universities to stamp out smoking on campus.

A smoking ban is also in the works on Victoria University’s campuses, but dates have not yet been set. The Australian Catholic University, which also has campuses interstate, has designated smoking areas but has not spoken of plans to enforce a total smoking ban.

Victorian unis will join the list of Australian universities that have already banned smoking on campus, including Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Griffith University, James Cook University, Murdoch University, the University of Adelaide, the University of Canberra, the University of Newcastle, the University of Sydney, the University of Western Australia and the University of Western Sydney.

Some universities have introduced smoking zones, while others have eradicated smoking on campus entirely.

The smoke-free movement has also made headlines internationally, with universities around the globe enforcing their own no-smoking policies. This includes a large number of United States universities, as well as some closer to home, including the University of Auckland and Massey University in New Zealand.

Become a member

Already a member? LoginForgot password?

Join the conversation