Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, will impose total smoking bans in hotels and bars by 2007. Australia’s other five states will impose smoking bans in licensed premises between January 2006 and 2007.

“For a person working in a bar for eight hours, that’s equivalent to smoking half a packet of cigarettes and we can’t ask bar workers to put their health at risk,” the NSW state premier, Bob Carr, said.

In March, Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and pubs. Norway and Malta have since imposed bans and Sweden will next year. Scotland is considering introducing a ban in 2006.

Australia’s Cancer Council says up to 97 of NSW’s 40,000 bar and club staff could expect to die from passive smoking-related heart disease and lung cancer each year.

The NSW ban will be phased in from July next year, with smoking banned on dance floors, auditoriums, toilets and foyers, but allowed in one room in licensed premises. By July 2006, the one smoking room must not take up more than 25 per cent of the bar.

Smoking will still be allowed in outdoor areas of NSW hotels and private gaming rooms at casinos.

Victoria will also phase in the smoking ban. Smoking is already banned in restaurants and shopping centres across Australia, as well as on two of the country’s most famous beaches, Sydney’s Bondi and Manly.

Sydney said it was awaiting a report on whether to ban smoking in its parks.