Media release – Michael Ferguson, Minister for Finance, 27 October 2021
Future Gaming Market legislation passes lower house
The Tasmanian Liberal Government took the Future of Gaming in Tasmania policy to the public, consulted widely and now we have passed the legislation through Parliament tonight.
The Future Gaming Market policy ends the Federal Group monopoly and means we have more money for essential services such as health and education, certainty and security for jobs in pubs and clubs, more support for problem gamblers and less for the Federal Group.
Once again, our state is looking to be nation-leading in the area of gambling harm minimisation with strengthened measures to further reduce problem gambling.
I will be directing the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission to investigate the options, costs, benefits and implementation of further harm minimisation measures, such as:
- Facial recognition technology to support the current player exclusion scheme;
- A smart card-based player system; and
- Potential options for a user pre-commitment scheme, allowing players to set limits on losses in advance.
Further, the Government amended the bill that has now passed the House to legislate that this work be undertaken and implemented by the commission as soon as practicable, which further demonstrates the Government’s commitment to harm minimisation.
This Government is providing strong leadership when it comes to gaming reform and we look forward to it passing in the Legislative Council.
Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader, 27 October 2021
Labor and the Liberals Sell Out Tasmanians on Pokies
Poker machines and new forms of gambling in pubs and clubs look set to be entrenched for generations, after the Liberals gagged debate and pushed the Gaming Control Amendments (Future Gaming Market) Bill 2021 through the House of Assembly, with the Bill supported by Labor.
Under the cover of darkness, Labor voted with the Liberals more than 40 times to push this sickening and parasitic Bill through the Lower House.
These two old, amoral parties long ago forgot what principles look like. They were both far too content to do the bidding of the Tasmanian Hospitality Association and their donors in the gambling industry.
This is, by definition, institutional corruption.
Unlike the Labor Party, the Greens were proud to stand by our policy to remove pokies from pubs and clubs.
We stand by every amendment we proposed – and that were opposed by the old parties.
We spent the 23 hours of debate on this quid pro quo Bill trying to remove the most dangerous elements, amend it and build in harm minimisation measures.
It was only Rosalie Woodruff and I, along with Independent Member for Clark, Kristie Johnston, who were steadfast in opposition to this Bill – acting in the public interest.
At least there were three honest women in the House to try to make this legislation less corrupt and socially devastating.
The Bill will now go to the Upper House. We hope Labor find their spine, and soul, some time in the next week, but we won’t hold our breath.
Media release – TasCOSS, 28 October 2021
TasCOSS MEDIA RELEASE: Band-aid measures to curb pokies harm insufficient
Gaming legislation passed in the House of Assembly late last night is not fit for purpose and will not protect at risk Tasmanians from the harms caused by poker machines.
TasCOSS CEO Ms Adrienne Picone said the legislation failed Tasmanians.
“Poker machines are a dangerous product. This legislation does nothing to make them less dangerous and in fact could well result in more Tasmanians losing their money to poker machines,” Ms Picone said.
“While any measures to reduce losses and harms as a result of use of addictive machines are welcome, we know that self-exclusion or voluntary measures, such as facial recognition technology and card-based play, have minimal impact compared to universal and mandatory measures such as a $1 bet limit, slower spin speeds and stopping losses-disguised-as-wins.
“If the Tasmanian Government is serious about being ‘nation-leading’ in the area of harm minimisation, it will not restrict the Liquor and Gaming Commission’s work on this to only industry-approved measures. The Commission must consider measures that have already been shown to successfully minimise player losses, and therefore harm.”
Ms Picone also highlighted that poker machines in hotels and clubs were concentrated in lower socio-economic areas where losses are the highest.
“Gambling harm is a public health issue because it impacts the health, finances, relationships and security of Tasmanians and their families. Beyond the person experiencing gambling problems, family members, friends, employers and colleagues can also be affected,” she said.
“We’re concerned that the proposed legislation will make it harder to regulate pokies, meaning more Tasmanians will experience harm.
“One in three Tasmanians personally know someone with a serious problem gambling on poker machines and there is a legitimate expectation in the community that our elected representatives take decisive action to address the harms caused by poker machines.
“The Gutwein Government and Tasmanian Labor have failed to make good on their commitments to protect at risk Tasmanians from the harms caused by poker machines.
“The fate of this legislation now rests in the Legislative Council. We call on the members of the upper house to respect the real interests of their communities and oppose this damaging legislation.”
Media release – Kristie Johnston MP, Independent Member for Clark, 28 October 2021
Labor Pokies Capitulation
Tasmanians were left in no doubt yesterday that the Labor Party has fundamentally lost its moral compass when it voted in lock-step with the Liberals to pass so-called ‘gambling reform’ legislation in the House of Assembly.
“I know the Liberals don’t care about the suffering poker machines bring to our suburbs, but I held out a glimmer of hope that Labor would find a conscience when it came to the crunch,” Ms Johnston said.
“But no. Labor has abandoned the very people it always claims it represents: the poor, the vulnerable, and the battlers.
“By refusing to support measures that make the machines safer, Labor have condemned many thousands of Tasmanians who are directly and indirectly affected by problem gambling to poverty, crime, domestic misery, physical and mental anguish, and even death.
“The craven Labor members we see in parliament today have betrayed their historic Labor legacy.”
Ms Johnston said that Labor’s capitulation to the Liberals and pokies industry barons follows the party’s recent mishandling of a sexual harassment complaint against one of its sitting members.
“Tasmanians are seeing a pattern of reprehensible behaviour here from the self-proclaimed party of the worker and the battler,” Ms Johnston said.
“Every day when I talk to people in the streets and shopping centres of my electorate of Clark, again and again people tell me of their dismay in the Labor Party. They look at the party that generations of their families have voted for, and they don’t recognise it anymore.
“It may as well be the Liberal Party.”
*** no statement issued ***
