Page 3526 - Week 12 - Thursday, 20 September 1990
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extra $378,648, the Labor Club an extra $212,246, and the Tradesmen's Club an extra $282,689. I stress that that is based on last year's figures. I am not apprised of how their trading has gone since 1 July.
Ms Follett: Down.
MR COLLAERY: Well, I do not know whether you have been attending them, Mrs Grassby.
Ms Follett: It was me.
MR COLLAERY: I am sorry, Ms Follett. Mr Speaker, this has been a very difficult decision. I can say this: in making the decision we went backwards and forwards with our advisers. We did numerous computer print runs. We went from club to club. We really sought to get a median effect that would do away with what the smaller clubs perceived - were they able to speak for themselves and had they a spokesperson - to be an apparent inequity in the tax scale.
I believe that the Labor Party has always supported those concepts of equity in other areas of taxing. I believe that we have not slugged clubs 25 per cent more; but certainly the larger clubs have been asked to bear a heavier burden, as have many sectors of the community.
I want to acknowledge the enormous work the club industry does in the community services and support area and in charity areas, particularly those larger clubs I mentioned. You cannot take away from them the great works they do. It would be very regrettable if we see any diminution in those good works. I am sure those good board members of those good clubs will not react to this by altering their well known commitment to good works. Certainly, Mr Speaker, a difficult decision was taken by the Government.
I move on to Mr Wood's suggestion that he would see a social justice and equity issue in the smaller machines not leaving the club circuit, for reasons that were essentially elaborated upon by Dr Kinloch, that is, that with the larger denomination coins we may well see increasing social stress. Mr Speaker, my advisers tell me that the 10c machines are still the overwhelming machine in the club circuit. The rounded figures today suggest there are about 2,500 to 2,600 gaming machines in the Territory. A rough breakup of those figures - it may not be up to date but it is recent - reveals that there are 45 5c machines, 1,679 10c machines and 571 20c machines.
My informed advisers, Mr Wood, tell me that we do not anticipate too many clubs taking up the $1 and $2 machines. I do want to say that it is likely that those larger clubs I mentioned will take up the larger denomination coinage. By and large, on my observations and visits to those clubs occasionally, I believe that they are well run and that the committees are conscious of the presence on the premises of compulsive gamblers. I do not disagree at all with the
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