STATE NEEDS OWN POKIES FOCUS
Don’t Pass the Buck to Federal Arena
Kim Booth MP
Greens Gaming spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens today said that the State must also develop its own strategies to address the impacts of poker machines on the community, instead of solely relying on the Federal government developing its mitigation plan which may take until 2012 to be implemented.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that Tasmania can, and must, move on pokies without having to wait for the Federal government, and that the Greens do not believe taking action at the state level will be incompatible with any of the Prime Minister’s proposed measures, but will instead show leadership.
“While it is a significant step forward for the Federal government to finally focus on the reality of the damage done by pokies, this does not mean that the State is off the hook but can, and must, also introduce necessary reforms in the interim,” Mr Booth said.
“Labor also needs to take responsibility for its renewal of the pokies deed in 2003 for another 15 years, five years before it was due to expire.”
“For over a decade now the Tasmanian Greens have been advocating for the wind-back of pokies out of pubs and clubs, also their removal from the casinos given the Productivity Commission’s finding that pokies are considered the most addictive form of gaming.”
“Each month Tasmanians are losing anywhere between $16 million and $20 million on pokies.”
“This is a huge amount of money that is then not available to put food on tables, heat in homes, or going into local small businesses.”
“This huge monthly loss rate is also a sad down-payment on future ongoing costs to the broader community, in the form of costs associated with fraud and stealing to feed gambling habits, police, and prison costs. There are also serious mental health costs.”
“The Greens are aware of industry concerns about potential impacts on pubs and clubs should pokies be removed, and we have proposed a transition support package be provided. There is also a strong argument that the removal of pokies will actually attract people back into their local pubs and clubs, which would be one aspect that a viable transition plan would focus upon.”
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.
