New Councilor Richard Foster is pushing for a total ban on smoking in public places throughout the city of Melbourne. The planned prohibition would include Bourke Street, City Square and even footpaths.

In justifying the planned ban, Mr Foster said that cutting the impact of smoking would help make Melbourne healthier.

"We have extended (no-smoking) boundaries around play areas, we have extended boundaries around childcare centres and hospitals, it is about time that we actually made it simpler for smokers and healthier for everybody else . . . just ban it outright and be done with it," Mr Foster was quoted by The Age.

Some of Melbourne councilors are backing the proposed wider ban, which would be on top of plain cigarette packaging law that is now being implemented across Australia since December 2012.

The councilor said he expected some legal challenge to the expanded smoking ban and some resistance, but he believes the move would have very strong support from the council and the public.

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