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A painting titled Smoko time with the AWLA

"Smoko" (also "smoke-o" or "smoke-oh") is an slang term for a short, often informal, cigarette break taken during work or military duty, although the term can also be used to describe any short break such as a rest or a tea/coffee break.

The term is believed to have originated in the British Merchant Navy,^[1] and was in use as early as 1865.^[2] The tradition of a smoko in the Australian sense seems to have begun amongst sheep shearers in the 1860s.^[3] The term is widely used in Australia, New Zealand and the Falkland Islands.

Although undoubtedly a slang term, the word "smoko" has taken on a considerably official status in Australia and is widely used in government and industrial relations areas.^[4]

The smoko in Australia has become an institution symbolic of working culture and even of workers' rights. Trade unions often hold meetings with workers during their smoko breaks, and the Australian Industrial Relations Commission has arbitrated cases of industrial action over workers' entitlement to a smoko break.^[5]

There are, however, considerable health and productivity concerns about smoke breaks, and non-smoking workers are sometimes concerned that their smoking colleagues take more time on breaks.^[6]

In 2006, the Australian government's Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources banned the "smoko" from its Canberra offices,^[7] prompting Health Minister Tony Abbott to declare that the "smoko has had its day".^[8]

1. ^ Lind, Lewis James (1982). Sea Jargon: A Dictionary of the Unwritten Language of the Sea. Sydney: Kangaroo Press. ISBN 0949924229. 
2. ^ Ayto, J. & Simpson, J. (eds.) (1992) The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang. Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ The Australian Tobacco Timeline, University of Sydney
4. ^ Glossary of common industrial relations terms, Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (Queensland)
5. ^ Application to Stop or Prevent Industrial Action, Australian Industrial Relations Commission, 17 October 2002.
6. ^ Workplace 'smoko' unfair, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 October 2003.
7. ^ Ban the smoko? No way, gasp diehard smokers, The Age, 7 October 2006.
8. ^ Abbott says smoko has had its day, The Age, 6 October 2006.