Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 2976 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

and pretty soon a confrontation developed between the licensed clubs and the Liberal Government opposite. There were some threats that the Government might introduce poker machines into the casino and there was also a move by the Australian Hotels Association, which has provided patronage for Mr Moore. They were in a dispute with the licensed clubs as well.

This became a squabble between two sections of the industry - the for-profit sector and the not-for-profit sector. Usually Mrs Carnell supports the not-for-profit sector. She waves them around as some banner whenever she is about to do some particular public function. But in this case Mrs Carnell was concerned about the licensed clubs. Indeed, fingers were being pointed, quite illegitimately, at the clubs, I suspect mostly over the association of a couple of clubs with the Labor movement at one level or another. That is when the argument became fairly politicised. It was not really about finding out what clubs do in the community; it was about doing over the clubs as time went by.

I was proud to have participated in the campaign which defeated the Chief Minister out there in the community and demonstrated for the licensed clubs that the Liberals were prepared to tell them or anybody else anything before an election and do what they like after it. They misled the community and they misled the licensed clubs. They will not be forgotten for that, I am proud to say. The confrontation between the clubs and the Liberals led us to this silly piece of legislation.

I was reading through the introductory speech and I noticed throughout this document that it mentions only clubs and says that this will apply only to clubs. I thought I would have over some people from the department to advise me on this matter, and I am pleased to say the Government provided people to brief me. I had a few interesting questions to ask. I said to them, "Does this Bill not apply to hotels as well?". I was informed that that was an unintended consequence, but it does in fact apply to hotels. I thought to myself, "Why does it not apply equally?". It looks highly discriminatory in its application.

I go back to a provision in other legislation earlier this week in relation to ministerial decisions. Mr Moore might recall this. I refer to proposed new section 54A, under the heading "Records of charitable donations", which reads:

(1) A licensee shall keep records of all contributions donated -

(a) to a charitable organisation;

(b) for a charitable purpose; or

(c) to an organisation declared by the Minister by notice in the Gazette to be an organisation for the purposes of this section, being an organisation that has as its principal purpose the benefit of the community or a section of the community.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .