In modern Australia, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive society. We have built robust legal frameworks to protect citizens from harassment based on race, religion, gender, and disability. We actively recognize and strive to aid the struggles of the unhoused, the impoverished, and other vulnerable communities.
Yet, amidst this progress, there remains one specific group against whom harassment is not only permitted but actively encouraged by State policy: The Smoker.
The Performative Cough
Consider the common experience of the "Performative Cough." A smoker, standing in a designated area or alone in an open space, is passed by a pedestrian. The pedestrian, often from metres away, initiates a loud, exaggerated cough.
This is not a medical symptom. It is a social signal. It is a deliberate act of aggression designed to shame the individual. In any other context, targeting a stranger with a physical display of disgust would be considered harassment. When directed at a smoker, it is viewed as a virtuous act of public health enforcement.
The Protected Attribute Test
To understand the severity of this bullying, we must apply the "Protected Attribute Test." While smokers are certainly not the only minority facing hardship, the legality of the abuse directed at them is unique.
- Denial of Facilities: We accept that "Exclusion Zones" keep smoke away from doors. However, many large campuses (such as hospitals) ban smoking entirely, refusing to provide safe, designated areas for staff. If a hospital removed all prayer rooms and forced staff to walk to a public highway to pray, it would be a violation of rights. Yet, we banish workers to the curb, stripping them of dignity and safety.
- Visual Disgust: If a person with a disability were subjected to glares and audible groans of disapproval in public spaces, we would call it hate speech.
- Financial Punitiveness: If a specific ethnic group were taxed at 400% of the standard rate for their cultural products to "discourage" their existence, it would be persecution.
Smokers are not asking for the right to harm others. We follow the rules. We stand in the cold. We pay the taxes. We are simply asking for the cessation of state-sanctioned social abuse.
The Request for Dignity
The government's "Denormalisation" strategy has crossed a line. It has moved from discouraging a habit to dehumanizing the human being. It has deputized the public to act as bullies.
It is time to acknowledge that stigmatization is not a health strategy; it is a form of psychological violence.