Outdoor smoking ban

As of July 1, smoking is now banned in outdoor dining areas at any time food is available or offered.

Ms Diana Wheeler, owner of Barista Sista Nuriootpa believes the new law has both negative and positive aspects.

Diana understands both sides of the argument clearly, however personally doesn’t smoke or like to sit around smoke whilst eating.

She admits it’s challenging trying to accommodate for everyone and ‘keeping everyone in the happy zone’.

“Our outside area is a public footpath,” she said.

“It’s too hard to police a public footpath, especially with people walking past with smokes all the time.”

Diana acknowledges that the new law has many challenging and somewhat confusing aspects, such as smoking is allowed around coffee and snacks, however is banned around meals and cakes.

To accommodate for everyone, Diana has decided to leave the front of her business as a smoking area, where meals will not be served.

She has then implemented another dining area around the back and within the alley way, where smoking is banned and all meals will be served.

“We’re lucky we have the space to create two separate areas,” she said.

“We’ve been planning it for awhile but this new law has prompted us.”

For those without the space to create separate areas, Diana understands that businesses can set time frames outside for the times for smoking and the times that food will be served.

 For the full story see this week’s edition of The Leader.