The smokers in Eaton Mall, Oakleigh, are feeling hard done by after it was revealed the Monash Council has been campaigning to get the State Government to introduce a Victoria-wide ban on smoking in alfresco dining areas.
Cr Stephen Dimopoulos, City of Monash, says “There has been a push by councillors in the last few days to re-initiate the issue” and to get a state-wide approach to the discussion on banning smoking in al fresco dining areas. He says majority of his constituents who support the smoking ban are of a non-Greek background and the ones who oppose the smoking ban tend to be of Greek heritage, with a few exceptions to this rule.
“My view is I want the mall to be a space not just for Greek Australians, but the broader Oakleigh community, that would be the ultimate success of the mall,” Mr Dimopoulos tells Neos Kosmos.
“If we move to banning smoking in al fresco dining areas, I think what we should be doing is saying we have a timeline of at least two years – preferably three – where we allow traders to make appropriate amendments to their shop fronts to allow for sections for smokers and non smokers,” he adds.
Yet, businesses in Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall fear a state-wide smoking ban in al fresco dining areas will heavily impact their trade.
Helene Leloudas, owner, House of Pittes says “it’s bad because everyone has a coffee and cigarette.
“[The customers] want a coffee and to socialise with their cigarette,” adding she doesn’t think her customers – the majority of whom are smokers – will be happy with the ban. As a smoker herself, she says she would rather stay home than not smoke on Eaton Mall.
Kristian Stergiannis, floor manager, Nikos Quality Cakes says the smoking ban “will impact on business” and that “it’s not fair on the smokers to ban smoking”.
Mary Avtzis and her husband Manolis say they visit Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall three to four times a week and do so because they can socialise with people they know, and that Mary can enjoy her coffee and cigarette.
“If they stop the smoking in Oakleigh people aren’t going to be happy and all the businesses are going to go downhill,” says Mary. “It’s not fair, we choose to smoke, and if you don’t like it stay home or sit inside.
“We come out as a group to have a coffee with friends, to catch up and if you can’t have a cigarette, what’s the point? I will stay home.”
Manolis, who has recently given up smoking but still sits outside with his wife, says Eaton Mall is filled with smokers, and you only need to look at how empty the shops are inside compared with how many people chose to sit outside to smoke.
“Being Oakleigh you have a lot of Greeks here and I think that’s what Oakleigh is all about – the young generation coming out enjoying their coffee with their friends and if you stop that where are they going to go?” asks Mary.
Non-smoker Lambros Tsoumaris, says talk of a smoking ban “is ridiculous”.
“As a non-smoker – and I hate smoking – I think it’s still wrong.”
Yet he believes the council will not allow a full ban in Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall as “it doesn’t benefit them”.
“Businesses will suffer, they’ll lose money from parking fines, people will leave the area and house prices will drop, it’s a flow on effect, they don’t want it to happen,” he says. “What will happen is they will allow small areas for smoke free but majority of the area will be smoking.”