In Australian,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

and Falkland Islands English, a smoko (also "smoke-o" or "smoke-oh") is a short, often informal break taken during work or military duty, although any short break such as a rest or a coffee or tea break can be called a smoko. Among sheep shearers in Australia, the smoko is a mid-morning break, between breakfast and lunch, in which a light meal may be eaten. There is a town in Victoria, Australia called Smoko, which "gained its name in 1865 because gold seekers regularly stopped here for a smoke and a rest on their way to and from the goldfields". The term is believed to have originated in the

British Merchant Navy The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom and comprises the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguar ...

, and was in use as early as 1857. The term is still in use in the British Merchant Navy today. The tradition of a smoko in the Australian sense seems to have begun amongst

sheep shearer A sheep shearer is a worker who uses (hand-powered)-blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing. History During the early years of sheep breeding in Australia, shearing was carried out by shephe ...

s in the 1860s. Although a slang term, the word "smoko" has been used in government writing and industrial relations reports to mean a short work break. The term achieved broader awareness in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

following the popularity of the song “ Smoko” by Australian band The Chats.

Smoko as an Australian institution

The smoko break in Australia has become an institution symbolic of working culture and even of workers' rights. The

Australian Industrial Relations Commission The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), known from 1956 to 1973 as the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission and from 1973 to 1988 as the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, was a tribunal with powers ...

has arbitrated cases of industrial action over workers' entitlement to a smoko break. 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. In 2006, the Australian government's Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources banned the "smoko" from its Canberra offices, prompting then Health Minister

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Lond ...

to declare that the "smoko has had its day". In January 2010 the Health Department announced a ban on its employees taking cigarette breaks, or "smokos."

References

{{reflist British Merchant Navy Smoking Nautical slang Australian slang Falkland Islands culture New Zealand slang

Smoko as an Australian institution

See also

References