Statutes Amendment (Community and Strata Titles) Bill
Thursday 18 September 2025
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (17:23): I rise to speak on the Statutes Amendment (Community and Strata Titles) Bill. This bill makes a range of changes to the laws that govern community and strata-titled properties in South Australia. They are important changes that will make these systems work better for the people who live in them.
I would like to focus on one reform in particular, something that I know many in our community have been asking for, and that is tackling the problem of smoke drift—something that causes ongoing distress. At the moment, if you live in a strata property your corporation already has the power to make rules about smoking, but if you live in a community-titled property the law has been silent. That has meant that, too often, people living in apartments or townhouses have had to put up with tobacco smoke coming into their homes from common areas or even drifting across from their neighbour's balcony. It is not fair and it is not safe.
Everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air in their own home. Second-hand smoke is not just unpleasant, it is unhealthy. It can make people sick. It particularly harms children, older people and those who already live with health conditions. This bill fixes that gap and makes it clear that community corporations can put by-laws in place to regulate smoking on common property and to stop smoke drift between homes. It is about giving residents the power to make decisions that keep their communities healthier and safer. Importantly, this is not about parliament telling every development how they must operate; it is about giving people the choice, the legal backing they need if they decide as a community they want to protect their shared spaces from smoke.
This is a practical, commonsense change. It brings community titles into line with strata titles. It responds to the concerns we have heard directly from residents and, above all, it puts people's health and wellbeing first. For those reasons, I support this reform and I commend the bill to the house.
