Steve Price has hit out at a Sydney council who have banned smoking in public.

In a unanimous decision, North Sydney Council has become the first Australian council to ban smoking in their CBD.

There are no penalties currently in place for those who break the rules, but rangers will patrol the area to educate smokers about the change.

Steve Price called the ban “a nanny state solution” which is impractical for smokers who work in the area.

But North Sydney Mayor Jilly Gibson insists that argument doesn’t stack up as people can simply smoke at home before and after work.

“Smokers used to use this same argument about not being able to fly long distances without smoking… that was totally unacceptable. 

“What about the non-smokers’ rights to be able to walk through the streets of our CBD and not have to breathe in sidestream smoke?”

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Rita Panahi also slammed the council, telling Steve it’s wrong to ban something that’s legal.

“Are you going to have to get an Uber and go to the next suburb across and smoke there and come back?

“It’s really kind of bizarre.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview