Page 2652 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 21 September 2022
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housing delivery after a decade, Madam Speaker, of inaction from the mates of those opposite, who did nothing nation-wide for ten years! Now we have an opportunity to build on the work that we have already undertaken at a local level, and we look forward to doing so.
Gambling—harm minimisation measures
MR PARTON: Minister, regarding the proposed legislative changes involving $5 bet limits in our clubs: you were asked in estimates about what percentage of spins in ACT clubs are over $5, and your written response indicated that the Gambling and Racing Commission did not have any of that data.
Why are you going to force clubs to spend many millions of dollars—they believe $70 million—to get to $5 bet limits, when you have no idea how many people this will affect?
MR RATTENBURY: Madam Speaker, Mr Parton’s question misses the obvious point that independent research and advice from harm minimisation advocates indicates that limiting bets—putting a cap on how much can be spent on a single bet—is a recognised and successful harm minimisation measure. What it does is reduce the amount of money people can lose. It slows down the rate. That is the point, and that is the basis on which the policy is developed.
Mr Parton is chuckling away over there. I am sure he is going to start making his interjections shortly. He asked the question. That is the basis on which the policy is built. Interestingly, all other jurisdictions except New South Wales have the same bet limit of $5, but for some reason Mr Parton thinks it is not appropriate for the ACT.
MR PARTON: Minister, is it possible that there are no bets made above $5, given that you have no data on this at all?
MR RATTENBURY: That is information that, as Mr Parton knows, a range of the clubs do have, and some of them are starting to share it with us as part of the consultation process.
What I can say is that the government has gone out with a detailed proposal. We have had quite a number of submissions come in. I am very pleased with those submissions that have come forward, and what we are now doing is going through that feedback, analysing—
Mr Parton interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, please!
MR RATTENBURY: We are analysing that feedback and then establishing an ongoing technical working group to continue to work both with harm minimisation advocates and clubs in the sector to make sure we come up with an efficient and effective outcome that has a significant impact in reducing harm from poker machines in the ACT. That is our objective. That is what we are working towards.
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