Economy
Bartlett admits role in pokies deal
PREMIER David Bartlett has admitted playing a part in granting a lucrative 15-year poker machine monopoly to a party donor without going to open tender.
Mr Bartlett has previously avoided the issue of his involvement in the 2003 deal, which handed a monopoly poker machine licence to casino and hotel chain Federal Hotels for a further 15 years.
The deal ignored Treasury advice that an open tender should be conducted for the exclusive licence. In a trade-off for exclusivity under the deal, Federal Hotels agreed to cap poker machine numbers and to build a tourist resort at Coles Bay, on Tasmania’s east coast.
Mr Bartlett was at the time senior adviser to then treasurer David Crean. He has previously dismissed his role as that of a “message boy”.
Under questioning by The Australian, he confirmed playing a part in the deal, but argued he could not be held accountable for it. “Are we going to start holding advisers accountable for these things?” he said. “I think politicians ought to be held accountable for these things.”
Asked again if he was involved in a deal that many Tasmanians regarded as less than transparent, he did not answer. Asked if this was a “yes”, he said: “I was senior adviser to David Crean at the time the deal was done that capped poker machines. We could have seen another 2000 poker machines rolled out since 2002 in this state. This deal stopped that happening, and I’m very pleased to have had a part in that.”