Page 6216 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991
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The ACT (Casino Control) Act 1988 -
the very Act that we are looking at now, as an amendment -
should not be implemented against the wishes of the ACT community.
The next one, which has already been given effect, was:
There should not be a casino adjacent to City Hill or the Parliamentary Triangle.
I accept that this proposal by the Chief Minister is not in conflict with that injunction. The next one was:
The question of a casino for the ACT should be decided by representative Government having regard to all proper criteria - social, economic, law and order, environmental and planning.
There is the view that the members of the Alliance Government, the Rally members at the time, took. The question of a casino should be decided by representative government, which we had, having regard to all proper criteria. During the time we were in government, environmental, planning and other issues were being examined, as surely they were. I well knew the legal problems of having an interim casino because I was instructed on that as well, as the then Attorney. The Rally policy went on to say:
In the event that the issue remains divisive to the Assembly, it should be resolved by referendum.
I am not going to retraverse all these issues. I want to deal calmly and rationally with the situation we are at, and that is that a majority of this Assembly will give effect to the casino push. We hold the view that those processes of social, economic and other matters have not been fully examined. You heard me in the past, you heard me as Acting Chief Minister, make known my views on the casino.
Mr Berry: When the cat is away the mice play.
MR COLLAERY: Mr Berry says that; but I made very clear that I was very much concerned about the social implications of the casino, as I remain, and as I remain concerned about the short-term and long-term employment prospects. I have said already that there will be at least 200 jobs lost from the club industry. We are with good company on this matter because those of you who saw the comments after the announcement made by the Chief Minister saw what the Licensed Clubs Association said, and you are well aware of what racing and other elements think, putting aside what the Salvation Army and other service organisations think. So, we are not alone; but we are alone in this Assembly, and we admit that.
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