Page 3536 - Week 12 - Thursday, 20 September 1990
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across the border in New South Wales and that gives the clubs across the border a difficult competitive edge when compared with the ACT. The Government believes that relatively few clubs will introduce the high rolling denomination machines.
I remind Mr Moore that I have not heard him oppose the minimum $5 bet for the proposed casino and he will have to be consistent in future on this issue. The Government would oppose the amendment foreshadowed by Mr Moore.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (11.54): Mr Speaker, the issue that has been raised by Mr Moore is far greater than whether we should have $1 coin machines or $2 coin machines in the ACT. What he is really talking about is the issue of the imposition of wills, of someone's moral code being imposed upon the actions of others. The idea is that someone like Mr Moore has determined that he can handle gambling on poker machines but other people cannot and therefore they need to be protected. To achieve that end, all persons are denied the opportunity of using those facilities.
Those who so desire can quite easily jump in their car now and drive to Queanbeyan and play $1 coin machines and $2 coin machines - - -
Mr Jensen: As they did years ago.
MR DUBY: As they did many years ago, as someone said. Indeed, the clubs in Queanbeyan are having a minor resurgence at the moment because of the fact that they currently do have $1 machines and $2 machines. People who like to gamble on those facilities are going to Queanbeyan and using those facilities. As a result, clubs in the ACT are dipping out. They are missing out on revenue and missing out on patronage from people who would choose to play for high stakes, the high rollers of the town.
Of course, there are people who, as Dr Kinloch points out, are compulsive gamblers, who are having grave difficulties coping with even 10c or 20c poker machines in the Territory now. Taken to extremes, Mr Moore, if you are going to oppose $1 machines and $2 machines, you should go the whole hog and oppose 20c machines and 10c machines. As a matter of fact, you could ban the whole issue of poker machines because some people in the community are unfortunate enough not to be able to control their desires in this regard.
The fact is, of course, that the Licensed Clubs Association has been lobbying and looking forward for a very long time to the introduction of $1 and $2 machines into their clubs. It is something on which many of them have pinned very high hopes. It must not be overlooked that the Government will anticipate increased revenue from the usage of those machines. To suddenly, on the spur of the moment - it appears to me to be a spur of the moment thing - try to take out a most important part of this poker machine
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