Page 2875 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 1991
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Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
GAMING MACHINE (AMENDMENT) BILL 1991
Debate resumed from 8 August 1991, on motion by Ms Follett:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR DUBY (12.07): Mr Speaker, since poker machines were introduced into the Territory, I believe in the early 1970s, the Licensed Clubs Association and clubs generally throughout the Territory have proved to be a vital part of ACT community life. Indeed, I think surveys were taken and presented to me by the Licensed Clubs Association in the last 12 months or so, and I seem to recall that the average ACT person is a member of, I think, 3.5 clubs. I am a member of a quite large number of clubs and associations within the Territory, all of which rely on revenue obtained from poker machines for the services they provide to their members.
The clubs themselves, since the early 1970s, have now grown to such an extent that they provide an extremely valuable source of revenue to the ACT Treasury and, of course, an extremely valuable source of employment to the citizens of the Territory. I think the licensed clubs are something like the third largest employing group in the Territory. So, the clubs are a very important part of the ACT community.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that this legislation was originally put together under my jurisdiction during the Alliance Government. It has come about because of the changes in Australian society that have occurred recently. What I am referring to is the introduction of $1 and $2 coins into the system and the availability these days of $1 and $2 gaming machines, particularly in New South Wales and, of course, in the ACT.
Recently we amended the relevant legislation to enable clubs in the ACT to introduce $1 and $2 coins. It was at that time that a difficulty was first brought to my attention by members of the Licensed Clubs Association in relation to the pay-out and the comparability of competitiveness of $1 and $2 machines between the ACT and adjoining districts in New South Wales. Within New South Wales they have had flexibility on the pay-out ratio for some years. With the introduction of $1 and $2 coins, most clubs in New South Wales have been paying at the rate of 92
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