Parramatta. No ban on smoking

The Land and Environment Court has ruled that Parramatta City Council adopted an "invalid" no smoking policy. The decision also found the council has the right to ban smoking in outdoor dining areas, if it does so under the correct processes. The decision means the cafes and restaurants that challenged the council ban do not need to enforce it at present. Council is expected to introduce a revised no smoking policy in the coming weeks, according to the Parramatta Advertiser

Parramatta. Restaurants fight ban

Nine restaurants are fighting a Parramatta City Council ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas in the Land and Environment Court. The group is under the umbrella of the Parramatta Business Freedom Association argues the council did not have the authority to impose the ban. All nine restaurants were exempted from the May 1 ban on smoking in Parramatta Council-owned or controlled alfresco dining areas. Armani Restaurant, where water pipe tobacco can be smoked in a Middle Eastern-style outdoor tent, has launched a related Supreme Court challenge that is now being heard in the Land and Environment Court.