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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4660 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

At a later date I will propose in the Assembly a motion for the immediate establishment of an inquiry, involving all the stakeholders, with the task of developing an industry plan for gambling in the ACT, and a moratorium on the issuing of new licences, to remain in force until the inquiry has reported. I envisage that the inquiry would consider limits on the number of licences and the number of gaming machines; extending licences to hotels and the casino within the context of an industry plan; the creation of an authority to regulate future growth and conduct in the industry; and provision for ongoing funding, from gambling profits and/or taxes, of research, education and prevention, counselling, and community support services.

The amendment to the legislation I present now contains three education and mitigation measures. The first is labelling. Licensees will be required to put warning labels on all poker machines and warning notices near the entrance to each gambling area. The second is no cash facilities in gambling areas. Licensees may not provide or allow provision of cash from automatic teller machines, EFTPOS facilities or any other facility for gaining cash or credit within a gaming area. The third is no lending or extending of credit. Licensees and their employees will not be allowed to offer or extend money or credit to a person for the purpose of playing a gambling machine.

This legislation generally follows the existing South Australian model. We have received industry and community support for the labelling concept. The warning notices to be placed on every gambling machine would be along the lines of labels on cigarettes; that is, warnings about the risks and possible harm caused by problem gambling. The exact text of the messages will be decided by the Minister, whom we expect to consult with all the relevant stakeholders. The labels would also include a helpline phone number. So, there is an option being offered. It is not just a negative label; there is some option being clearly included in that label.

Removal of EFTPOS machines and automatic teller machines from gambling areas is in line with the South Australian legislation. I stress "gambling areas", because I did hear initially that Mr De Domenico had not understood this aspect of our legislative proposal. He said that we were proposing that there be no cash facilities within a whole club, or whatever the facility is. That is not what we are saying. We are talking about the gambling area itself. The body of case evidence from counselling indicates that problem gamblers may be assisted to control gambling sessions that are going beyond their limits if they are forced to leave the gambling area to get money. That break, many gamblers and counsellors contend, will facilitate a decision to end the session. We considered removal of these facilities from the entire premises but, in the end, bowed to doubts about the safety of older people returning to a club after withdrawing money and also recognised that other club users need these facilities.

Mr Speaker, poker machines were once the one-armed bandits. Today governments are increasingly becoming one-armed bandits - taking the profits of gambling, but returning very little in resources to deal with the problems felt so profoundly. I commend this Bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Kaine) adjourned.

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