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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2012 ..

I might remind members that so far only two licences have been granted, one to Tattersalls and one to ACTTAB. This was done only relatively recently, so the capacity of the commission to determine the extent to which there is any inadequacy in the legislation is somewhat limited. However, the clear implication of the report is that, as best the commission can determine at this stage, issues related to the effect of the legislation are best determined over the next few years while the legislation is in place; and that it is important for us to be able to target world best practice in terms of compliance and monitoring, and that is best achieved by reviewing the effect of the legislation over the next few years.

The commission draws attention to a number of amendments to the legislation, which are already foreshadowed on the government's legislative program and which are designed to tighten up a few aspects of the operation of the act. But essentially the commission indicates that the framework of the legislation is adequate in its current form.

The commission also refers to the fact that it is in the process of ratcheting up its activities with respect to the conducting of research. It is in the process at the moment of conducting interviews to engage a research officer and it believes it will be able to address a number of issues relating to problem gambling as a result of that resource being at its disposal.

I believe that the effect of this report ought to be that the Assembly feels some confidence in approving, or at least allowing, the issuing of further online licences. Members are aware that we are about to enter into a six to eight week recess. I understand that there are further applications for online gambling licences pending-not one for the Bruce Stadium, I hasten to add, but certainly others are, I understand, being considered at the moment by the commission. I believe it would be appropriate to accept, on the basis of this report from the Gambling and Racing Commission, that there is no basis on which to hold up or suspend the process that will see those licences further considered by the commission.

The commission makes the very valid point in this report that it is too early to determine whether there are any major problems with the legislation. There appear not to be, but it is important to obtain a bit more experience of regulating this area of activity before we draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of the legislation. Certainly, as far as the commission is concerned, it appears to be adequate for its purposes in the present form, given the amount of experience we have of its operation. So I hope members are reassured by this report. I certainly am by what I have read of it and I commend it to the Assembly.

MR MOORE (Minister for Health and Community Care) (3.39): I would like to speak to this motion. On the grounds of civil liberties, I could have separated myself from the government on these issues. But it seems to me that with interactive gambling we have the opportunity to take a struthious stance-that is, the stance of an ostrich-bury our heads in the sand and pretend the Internet does not exist and people will not use online gambling. What is very clear is that they will, and it is very clear that there is very little chance of us stopping them from doing that.

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