Page 2962 - Week 10 - Friday, 8 October 2021
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
In order to meet the new regulatory settings, the government is considering the cost and implementation requirements to upgrade gaming machines. Further industry consultation will be undertaken. Policy work is proceeding on a number of commitments to inform further conversations with the industry and other stakeholders about how these commitments might be delivered.
The government has commenced work to ensure that our cross-venue self-exclusion regime in the ACT is as rigorous as possible for people experiencing gaming harm. A subcommittee of the ministerial advisory council, the ACT Gambling Exclusion Regime Working Group, has been formed to provide the council with advice about opportunities to enhance the experiences of the gamblers and gaming venues that interact with the ACT gambling exclusion regime.
Regarding the commitment to match or exceed any further harm reduction gaming reforms commenced in New South Wales, I met with the New South Wales Minister for Customer Service, the Hon Victor Dominello MP, in May this year to discuss the reforms proposed in the Gaming Machines Amendment (Gambling Harm Minimisation) Bill 2020 in New South Wales.
While many of the measures in that bill are already part of the ACT legislative framework—including, for example, the ability for persons to self-exclude themselves from gaming venues—the ACT government’s Justice and Community Safety Directorate will continue to consider the implementation of the New South Wales reforms, such as cashless gaming and family and third-party exclusions, in the ACT context.
JACS is also assessing the commitment to provide a just transition for workers in the community clubs and gambling industry. JACS is currently reviewing the employment profile of the ACT clubs and gambling industry to determine the number of workers who may be affected by the government’s gaming harm minimisation reforms.
In relation to the commitment to support clubs to become heat and smoke refuges for local communities, JACS is working across the government to design and deliver policy options which strengthen the ACT’s existing emergency response strategies. Alongside this, the government is considering how to facilitate planning and other processes to allow clubs to diversify, including exploring opportunities for ACT clubs to make better use of their land assets.
Another important commitment is to target a further reduction in the number of authorisations to 3,500 by 1 July 2025, with additional incentives to move to zero machines within a venue location. While the planning system does have a role to play in supporting club revenue diversification, JACS is also considering what measures may be effective in achieving this further reduction, noting the success of previous measures in the last term of government to incentivise clubs to reduce their authorisations to 4,000.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video