Power-Sharing Parliament Can Deliver a $1 Bet Limit
The Tasmanian Greens today urged Labor to stand up for pokie victims and their families by supporting a state-based $1 bet limit on poker machines.
Greens Gaming spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that there were no more excuses to delay the implementation of a pokies $1 bet limit in Tasmania, especially now that the promised Commonwealth pre-commitment trial had been abandoned.
“In 2010, this Bill was delayed and referred to a state Select Committee to inquire into the evidence supporting a $1 bet limit and to look into the implementation costs,” said Mr Booth.
“Three years later and we now have all the evidence and information we need to implement a $1 bet limit.”
“Liberal and Labor members of the Select Committee shamefully decided that no action was needed in Tasmania because they stated that the federal reforms taking place at the time were sufficient.”
“I’m expecting them to explain whether they still think that no action is needed in Tasmania given that the federal reforms have all but fallen over with the Commonwealth pre-commitment pokie trial collapsed due to the withdrawal of support from ACT Clubs.”
“After Treasury modelling we know that we can implement a $1 bet limit with very little impact on the revenue of pubs, clubs and the state budget.”
“Tasmanians also deserve to know whether Liberals MPs Will Hodgman, Rene Hidding, Peter Gutwein and Jeremy Rockliff will vote in support of introducing a $1 Bet Limit given the Liberals voted for exactly that in 2009 when it was moved by their then-Gaming spokesperson Brett Whiteley.”
“The only ones that will bear the cost are Federal Hotels who are currently benefiting from the nearly $200 million lost per year on pokies. A nice little revenue earner, given that they got gifted a monopoly licence for pokie machines by the then-Liberal majority government.”
“I suppose that donations might be a little lower for the Tasmanian Liberal Party too, if they support a $1 bet limit, because Federal Hotels probably would’t be very supportive of them come the 2014 election.”
“Governments and political parties should do what’s in the best interest of all Tasmanians not just those that have the money to speak the loudest.”
“A one dollar bet limit is exactly what pokie industry lobbyists don’t want as they know that it is effective in reducing problem gambling which is where a large portion of their revenue comes from.”
“I hope that members of the Tasmanian Liberal and Labor Party do what is right for Tasmanians and support a pokies $1 bet limit tomorrow or provide a very good reason as to why they don’t, given that we now have the implementation costs and the federal reforms have fallen over.”
Download: House of Assembly Hansard, 5 November 2009. Liberals’ Gaming spokesperson Brett Whiteley MP moving Liberal’s amendment to introduce a pokies $1 Bet Limit.
May21_HSD_Whiteley_re_1Bet_Limit_5Nov2009_K_Booth_ATTACH.pdf
Kim Booth MP Greens Gaming spokesperson Sunday, 19 May 2013
