"Smoko" is also the name of a small settlement in the Victorian Alps

Australian Alps

The Australian Alps are the highest mountain ranges of mainland Australia. They are located in southeastern Australia and straddle the Australian Capital Territory, south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria...

.

"Smoko" (also "smoke-o" or "smoke-oh") is a term used in Australian English

Australian English

Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....

, New Zealand English

New Zealand English

New Zealand English is the dialect of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and...

 and Falkland Islands English

Falkland Islands English

Falkland Islands English is mainly British in character. However, due to the isolation of the islands, the small population has developed and retains its own accent/dialect, which persists despite a large English immigration in recent years. In rural areas , known as the "camp" , the Falkland...

 for a short, often informal, cigarette

Tobacco smoking

Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...

 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 coffee/tea break

Coffee Break

Coffee Break is an online book on the NCBI Bookshelf created and maintained by staff at NCBI, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. The book consists of small chapters which are each written about a different topic in the world of Biomedicine. There are currently 32 chapters, and it was...

. Among sheep shearers in Australia, "smoko" is a mid-morning break, between breakfast and lunch, on which a light meal may be eaten.. Within New Zealand the term has generally altered to include coffee breaks and outdoor rests. The term is used primarily in New Zealand amongst the building and manufacture communities.

The term is believed to have originated in the British Merchant Navy, and was in use as early as 1865. 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 shearers

Sheep shearer

A sheep shearer is a worker who uses -blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing.-History:...

 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.

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 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

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

 offices, prompting then Health Minister Tony Abbott

Tony Abbott

Anthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...

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