The Tasmanian Greens today said the latest monthly in arrears figures on pokies losses are yet another tragic expose of Labor’s callous disregard for the victims of pokie addiction and justified Tasmania going it alone with a state-based $1 betting limit on poker machines.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that the massive losses of $194,669,679 for the first 11 months of 2011, with gamblers families losing over $17 million in November last year alone was an avoidable tragedy which parliament must address.
Mr Booth also called on Liberal Opposition Leader Will Hodgman to actually stand for something, by backing the Greens’ push for Tasmania to go it alone on betting limits.
“Tasmanians collectively lost $17.2 million dollars in November last year, much of which was money that came directly out of family budgets for food, clothing and school expenses,” Mr Booth said.
“Pokie machines are known as the crack cocaine of the gambling industry and Tasmania can and must act swiftly to protect our community, without relying on a Federal deal which may not materialise.”
“In May last year, the Federal government offered Tasmania funding to roll out a state-based trial of implementing betting limits. Despite having all costs paid for and compensation for industry included, Premier Giddings rejected the offer because Federal Hotels objected, knowing that reducing the losses of problem gamblers would significantly impact on their profits.”
“Premier Giddings stands condemned for rejecting the federal offer and now should pick up the phone and seek to recover the funding, to use it to implement a $1 bet limit, which must be implemented with or without federal help.”
“Both the Premier and the Liberals cowed to Federal Hotels and rejected the Federal government offer for money to help problem gamblers minimise the harm of their addiction.”
“I am also calling on the Liberal Opposition Leader Will Hodgman to actually stand for something by backing the Greens’ push for Tasmania to go it alone on betting limits.”
“The Liberals were prepared to back the Greens’ push for $1 bet limits, before the last election when they knew they couldn’t get it through, but now that they have the power to do something they have betrayed the community by their cowardly back flip.”
“Given that we have a hung parliament, If the Liberals will commit to supporting the Greens $1 bet limit legislation, currently referred to a parliamentary committee, then Tasmania will be leading the nation, despite the fact that Labor doesn’t care about pokie addiction.”
“These machines are the crack cocaine of the gaming industry, cynically designed by psychology experts to be as addictive as possible, using bright flashing lights and sound.”
“It is disgraceful that state Labor and Liberal protect the profits of the pokie barons whilst Tasmanian families lose close to $18 million every month on these addictive machines,” Mr Booth said.
Link: Department of Treasury and Finance, Electronic Gaming Machine Expenditure by Rolling Year : HERE
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• Andrew Wilkie: Bryan Green misleads Tasmania
The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, said acting Premier and Treasurer Bryan Green should stop misleading the Tasmanian community.
Mr Wilkie was responding to a Tasmanian Government media release distributed in response to his comments in Perth today specifically on the way poker machine taxation revenue is not considered as state revenue when GST distribution is decided.
For the record Mr Wilkie actually said the following:
“Frankly when you consider the billions of dollars that NSW in particular gets in taxation revenue from poker machines, that should be in the mix when deciding our GST carve up” Mr Wilkie said.
“I come from a state, from Tasmania, that relies on GST revenue very very much and I’m not advocating any change that would disadvantage Tasmania. But I do think we can be fairer to WA in this particular matter.”
Mr Wilkie added that it’s important to understand that such a change would likely result in an increased GST payment to Tasmania on account of the state’s pro rata number of poker machines compared with other jurisdictions.
• Wednesday, Wilkie: I won’t back down
The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, gave an interview to ABC Statewide Mornings this morning.
The audio can be found here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-18/wilkie-denies-backing-down-over-pokies/3780064
• CASE GROWS FOR STATE-BASED POKIES HARM MINIMISATION
Greens Call on State Liberals to Renew Support for $1 Betting Limits
Kim Booth MP
Greens Gaming spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens today said pressure for pokies reform at the state level was building, with another key welfare group backing the need for local action to limit the devastating of harm poker machines.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said with the Salvation Army coming out in support state-based poker machine restrictions, Labor and Liberal need to wake up to the seriousness of the problem and back the Greens push for a state-based $1 betting limit on poker machines.
“The welfare sector knows that Tasmania cannot afford to wait any more for the Federal government to deliver on pre-commitment technology,” Mr Booth said.
“The latest figures on poker machine losses show that Tasmanians lost close to $200 million in the first 11 months of 2011, and about $17 million in November alone.”
“This is a disgraceful and avoidable tragedy which the Tasmanian parliament has a moral duty to address.”
“With the Acting Premier Bryan Green today confirming that state Labor has no plans to do anything about pokies reform, there is an opportunity for the Opposition Leader Will Hodgman to show that he cares about gambling addicts and their families.”
“Mr Hodgman can finally put some substance behind his talk of a forward-looking and self-reliant Tasmania by rethinking his decision to walk away from $1 pokies betting limits in Tasmania.”
“It is not good enough for state Labor and Liberal to stand by and do nothing while Tasmanians lose more than half a million dollars every day to these addictive machines, the crack cocaine of the gambling industry,” Mr Booth said.
•Wilkie Meeting with PM Today
The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, is travelling to Canberra today to meet with the Prime Minister.
The meeting is to continue discussions about poker machine reform.
“Discussions are ongoing and tonight’s meeting will not result in a final resolution,” Mr Wilkie said.
“Media speculation that a deal has been done, or in fact will ever be done, is not correct.
“But I do want to make absolutely clear that I remain committed to the agreement signed by the Prime Minister and me in August 2010.”
