National
Gambling: Public hearings into pre-commitment schemes. $214m lost in 2010. Feds power …
Inquiry into a pre-commitment scheme
Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney public hearings
The Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform, Mr Andrew Wilkie MP, advises that the Committee will be conducting public hearings in relation to the committee’s inquiry into pre-commitment schemes, in Adelaide today, 1 February 2011, Melbourne on Wednesday 2 February 2011, Brisbane on Thursday 3 February 2011 and Sydney on Friday 4 February 2011.
The public hearings will focus on the design and implementation of a best practice full pre-commitment scheme for Electronic Gaming Machines that is uniform across all States and Territories and machines – consistent with the recommendations and findings of the Productivity Commission.
Additional public hearings will be held in Canberra on Monday 14 February 2011 and Tuesday 15 February 2011 and in Hobart on Friday 18 February 2011.
Programs for these hearings will be made available on the committee website at:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/gamblingreform_ctte/precommitment_scheme/hearings/index.htm.
For general information about the inquiry, visit:
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/gamblingreform_ctte/
POKIE LOSSES TOP $214 MILLION FOR 2010
Tasmania Must Take its Own Action to Reduce Massive Loss Rates
Kim Booth MP
Greens Gaming spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens today revealed that Tasmanians lost a massive $214,109,672 on poker machines for the calendar year 2010, and reiterated their call for meaningful harm minimisation measures to be implemented in Tasmania as a matter of urgency, without waiting for the Federal Government.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the continued loss of $16 million to $19 million from Tasmania every month clearly demonstrates why the state must take its own action on poker machines, and why pokies must be rolled out of our pubs and clubs where they do the most damage to communities that can least afford them.
Mr Booth also said there are terrible human costs to these huge financial losses, with newspapers regularly reporting thefts, frauds and, worst of all, suicides that are directly related to poker machine addiction.
“In 2010 pokies sucked $214,109,672 out of the Tasmanian economy, and it is high time that Labor implemented meaningful harm minimisation measures, and began moves to roll pokies out of our pubs and clubs where they do the most damage to communities that can least afford them,” said Mr Booth.
“The Greens have long advocated for a $1 maximum bet limit for pokies, which is also endorsed by the Productivity Commission, and which is currently being investigated by a Parliamentary Committee.”
“It is not just the economy that suffers. The loss of $214,109,672 means less food on families’ tables, less money in their pockets, and a reduced ability to provide for secure accommodation and a decent education for their children.”
“Poker machines are stealing between $16 million and $19 million from Tasmanians every single month, and Labor must urgently introduce meaningful harm minimisation measures to curb the vandalism that these machines wreak on our economy, and on our society,” said Mr Booth.
There is a State Parliamentary Committee Inquiry currently underway into introducing a $1 bet limit on pokies. Greens Kim Booth MP is the Chair of this Committee, which also consists of Liberals’ Peter Gutwein MP and Jeremy Rockliff MP, and Labor’s Scott Bacon MP and Brenton Best MP.
Reference: Department of Treasury and Finance, Electronic Gaming Machine Expenditure by Rolling Year, http://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/domino/dtf/dtf.nsf/6044ee0c1cf958a2ca256f2500108bba/cd36bfc11d136484ca2575e10006e703?OpenDocument
First published: 2011-02-01 12:03 AM
Andrew Wilkie:
COMMONWEALTH HAS THE POWER TO LEGISLATE POKIES
The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, has welcomed confirmation that the Commonwealth has the power to legislate to introduce measures to reduce problem gambling on poker machines.
Mr Wilkie’s agreement with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, requires a mandatory pre-commitment scheme on poker machines to start in 2014, requiring players to set a limit on how much they are prepared to lose before they start gambling.
The Wilkie-Gillard Agreement also required the Federal Government to “commission and receive legal advice no later than February 1 2011’’ on the Commonwealth’s power to legislate poker machines.
The Minister for Families, Jenny Macklin, today released that legal advice from the Australian Government Solicitor, which found the Commonwealth had “extensive power to legislate for the regulation of relevant classes of persons and entities in relation to these matters’’.
The legal advice concluded the Commonwealth could use the corporations power under the Constitution to directly regulate poker machines, use a taxation-based regulatory scheme, or a combination of both.
Mr Wilkie said he was pleased the Government had met the deadline for receiving legal advice.
“It’s another heartening demonstration of the Gillard Government’s commitment to honouring its agreement with me, ‘’ Mr Wilkie said.
The Wilkie-Gillard Agreement gives state and territory governments until May 31 to say whether they will voluntarily sign up to the reforms.
Mr Wilkie urged the governments and industry to get on board.
“I’m heartened that last weekend the Tasmanian Government supported a national pre-commitment system to help minimise the harm caused by problem gambling and I urge the other states and territories to follow suit,’’ he said.
“It’s time to accept that the Commonwealth does have the power to legislate and this reform is going to happen.
“They’d be better to sign on now and help influence the outcome, rather than bury their heads in the sand and try to resist the inevitable.’’
The Wilkie-Gillard Agreement states the Federal Government will legislate before May 2012 if the states and territories do not sign on voluntarily to the reforms that also include a $250 daily limit for ATMs in pokies venues and dynamic-warning and cost-of-play displays on poker machines.
Mr Wilkie said a mandatory pre-commitment scheme was a key recommendation of the Productivity Commission, which last year concluded it was a “strong, practicable and ultimately cost-effective option for harm minimisation’’.
“The industry has to accept that it’s not OK to continue to profit from the misery and addiction of some of Australia’s most vulnerable people,’’ he said.
“Some venues have a relatively low level of problem gambling and they have nothing to fear from these reforms.
“They are designed to combat problem gambling and problem gambling only.’’
Mr Wilkie is chair of the Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform, which is touring the country this week consulting and inquiring into the design and implementation of full pre-commitment scheme.