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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (30 November) . . Page.. 3520 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I strongly believe the many of our clubs still have the capacity to contribute far more significantly to charitable organisations and for charitable activities than we presently see and, given their levels of profit, this certainly could be achieved without any need for reductions in current levels of contributions to sports and other non-profit activities.

The government tabled in the Assembly during May 1999 a further amendment to the Gaming Machine Act 1987. The amendment required a mandatory minimal level of contributions to be made to the wider community-at least 3 per cent of net gaming machine revenue to go to charity or for charitable purposes and at least 2 per cent of net gaming machine revenue to go to other activities or organisations, such as sport and the arts, to enhance the social fabric of our society. The government had to defer the debate on the amendment bill because it could not get sufficient support in this Assembly to have the bill passed.

I was astounded that the stumbling block actually was the proposed 3 per cent of net gaming machine revenue to go to charity or for charitable purposes. A revised amendment bill is scheduled for debate next week. This amendment bill does not provide for a specific percentage of net gaming machine revenue to go charity or for charitable purposes, but it will require clubs to contribute a minimum of 5 per cent of net gaming machine revenue to community contributions. Also, it provides that expenditure on such things as infrastructure, political parties or trade unions cannot be claimed by clubs to be part of their mandatory contributions.

Mr Speaker, my comment of some 12 months ago in relation to the initial amendment bill was that it was not too much to ask for an industry which currently enjoys significant financial benefits from the monopoly it has on gaming machines to share those gains with others in the community. Given the clubs' continuing performance on charitable contributions and the relatively small level of minimum contributions planned for the amendment bill, I believe that the club industry has no reason to object to its community contribution obligations.

The report contains comprehensive data that would be useful to Assembly members and the ACT public in the ongoing debate on government policy with respect to gaming machines and related matters. I commend the report of the Gambling and Racing Commission to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Quinlan ) adjourned to the next sitting.

MR HUMPHRIES (Chief Minister, Minister for Community Affairs, Attorney-General and Treasurer) (3.31): I present the following paper:

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