Page 2931 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 1991
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Mr Wood: By whom?
MR STEVENSON: Police investigators.
Mr Wood: Which ones?
MR STEVENSON: By police in Victoria, of the various illegal clubs in Victoria, and also police in Western Australia. That has apparently reduced that to an estimated - and granted it is only an estimate - 2 per cent.
Ms Follett: This is outrageous. It is absolute garbage. It has to be - - -
MR STEVENSON: Miss Follett says, "This is outrageous". I wonder why it is outrageous to indicate that there are concerns and evidence around Australia that the gaming machine industry has been infiltrated by organised criminals and that we should take certain precautions in the ACT to ensure that it does not happen here. Is it not a valid situation for when we get casinos? Is there not a Casino Surveillance Authority to try to prevent organised crime involvement in casinos in exactly the same way? Once again, it is purely and simply a prudent option to take. It should be done, and I will pursue the matter.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (5.08), in reply: Mr Speaker, there are a few issues that I would like to respond to. The most obvious, of course, is Mr Stevenson's remarks. Once again he alleged links between organised crime and whatever particular subject the Assembly happens to be debating. In the case of the particular Bill that is under debate at the moment, the Gaming Machine (Amendment) Bill, Mr Stevenson has made a variety of utterly irrelevant and unsubstantiated smears on the ACT club industry. Mr Speaker, I really cannot let that go past.
The fact is - and Mr Stevenson ought to be aware of this fact - that the ACT has been the model for anti-corruption and revenue collection measures that other jurisdictions commonly do not have, but would like to have and would like to follow. I think it is incredibly shallow for Mr Stevenson to allude to every State in Australia except the ACT, and to then imply that what may or may not happen in other States does happen in the ACT.
Mr Duby: In illegal gaming clubs. That is what he is referring to, in Victoria.
MS FOLLETT: Mr Stevenson, as Mr Duby remarks, has confined his remarks to illegal activities. What we are talking about in the Bill that is before us now is a regulated industry in the ACT. So, Mr Speaker, I believe that his remarks were as irrelevant as they were unsubstantiated. It is clear to most members here, I think, that anti-corruption activities and the protection of revenue are closely related.
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