North West pokies forum will highlight party positions

The Tasmanian Greens today said that tomorrow night’s People before Pokies forum in Burnie was the perfect opportunity for the Federal Braddon candidate, Brett Whiteley, to publicly announce his current position on pokies and whether he stood by his previous position of supporting a state-based $1 bet limit.

Greens Member for Braddon, Paul O’Halloran MP said that they and multiple NGOs would welcome Mr Whiteley’s support for a $1 bet limit and hoped the reform could be achieved as soon as possible as pokies continued to prey upon struggling communities and families.

“In the last financial year Tasmanians lost a whopping $208 million sitting in front of these greedy machines,” said Mr O’Halloran.

“Recent reports reveal that Devonport has one of the highest densities of machines in Australia at one machine per 111 people.”

“Last year, the Devonport community lost $11.5m on pokies, and the same the year before. Thats around $450 per person or $2000 per family, about the same as many families’ power bills.”

“The amendment moved by Mr Whiteley in 2009’s State Parliament to introduce a $1 bet limit was an honourable action. Unfortunately since then the State Liberals have backflipped on this position.”

“The Liberals refused to support a Greens Bill for for a state-based $1 bet limit earlier this year, so members of the public will be demanding why the Liberals backflipped, and to know where Mr Whiteley stands on this issue now.”

“Pokies in pubs and clubs are damaging families, workplaces and local businesses.”

“Too often we are seeing news reports of someone resorting to steal from clients, their workplaces or their families to meet their gambling addiction.”

“We know people are doing it tough. Yet Labor and Liberal appear to think that they do not need to tackle the cynical proliferation of these machines which suck the disposable income out of families and local economies.”

“In far too many instances this is the money that will not be spent on children’s lunches, will not be spent on heating, or be spent in local shops.”

“Since 2009 we have seen Labor and the Liberals play cheap politics with this issue, with little regard for the damage that continues to occur within the community.”

“We know that pokies are strategically placed within areas that are already socio-economically vulnerable and the presence of these machines just exacerbates existing social problems.”

“Modelling undertaken by treasury shows that a $1 bet limit would have very little impact on the takings of venues, the only entity that would be effected would be Federal who are currently enjoying a past Labor Government sanctioned monopoly.”

“It’s disappointing that Labor and the Liberals would choose to support a big business monopoly over the welfare of their constituents,” Mr O’Halloran said.
Greens Member for Braddon, Paul O’Halloran MP