Published on Wednesday, 19 August 2020 at 2:53:24 PM

The City of Vincent is embarking on a major health kick – and we want your opinion on the goals we’ve set for ourselves.

Our draft Public Health Plan will help us improve the health and wellbeing of our community members, giving them the opportunity to thrive and make healthy choices.

The five-year plan includes goals to give people more opportunities to be active and increase healthy food and drink options at our venues, events, festivals and community activities.

We are also looking to deliver programs to help reduce falls in seniors, encourage responsible drinking and promote screening and immunisation campaigns.

The plan includes a target to introduce smoke-free town centres by 2025.

Smoke-free town centres – including main shopping, dining and entertainment strips on Oxford Street in Leederville, Beaufort Street, Angove Street in North Perth and Scarborough Beach Road in Mt Hawthorn – would reduce people’s exposure to harmful second-hand tobacco smoke, discourage the normalising of smoking to young people and reduce litter from cigarette butts.

We are inviting community feedback on the plan and will consult Town Teams, local business owners, licensed venues and health stakeholders on the implementation of smoke-free town centres.

Designated smoking areas will allow people to smoke safely in well-lit areas and licensed venues with outdoor smoking areas will not be impacted.

“This plan is all about helping our community members thrive and feel healthy, happy, connected and supported,” said Mayor Emma Cole.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of us to pause and reflect on how much we value our health and the health of our loved ones.

“So it is really timely for us to release this draft plan for our community to comment on how we promote and support a healthy and active lifestyle in Vincent.

“We’re really keen to engage on the issue of passive smoking, with an ambitious target of smoke-free town centres by 2025.

“These are our high-pedestrian main streets where we shop, dine and meet. We want to make our town centres a really welcoming and pleasant environment for people to enjoy.

“Input from our community, businesses and licensed venues on this target is really important as we want to ensure that the support is there.”

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke and it is particularly dangerous for children and young people.

The Cancer Council WA’s position statement on passive smoking demonstrates support for smoke-free environments is growing, with 89% of Australians supporting smoke-free dining and 72% supporting smoke-free shopping centres.

Smoke-free areas have been well received and well supported within other local government areas.

The consultation on the draft Public Health Plan will test this sentiment within the City of Vincent.

During the initial consultation, community members identified the factors that helped them lead a happy, healthy and connected life in Vincent.

This included social connections, up-to-date public health information, community facilities, parks, walking and cycling opportunities, events and activities and vibrant town centres.

These common themes shaped the Public Health Plan and our health and wellbeing goals for the next five years.

For more information and to share your thoughts on the draft plan, visit imagine.vincent.wa.gov.au before 5pm on 11 September.

Imagine Vincent | Draft Public Health Plan

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