Hospitality industry claims that jobs would be lost as a result of Tasmania's smoking ban in pubs and clubs have been proved to be just an industry smokescreen. New official figures show there now are more people employed by Tasmanian hotels and clubs now than before the state's smoking ban took effect at the start of the year. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show a 10 per cent rise in employment in Tasmanian hotels and clubs in the May quarter of 2006 compared with the same quarter the previous year. This figure contradicts the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) claim that bar trade has dropped and jobs have been shed in Tasmanian pubs since the smoke-free legislation. SmokeFree Tasmania convenor Kathy Barnsley said the ABS data refuted the AHA claims of a downturn in the industry. In the UK last week, the Smokefree Action Coalition, which includes many of Britain's leading health organisations, produced a new website to help private, public and other organisations to introduce smokefree policies as soon as possible. The move follows the Royal Assent for the Health Act 2006, which will make virtually all workplaces and enclosed public places smokefree from summer 2007.
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