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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 6 Hansard (18 June) . . Page.. 1977 ..
Wednesday, 18 June 2003
MR SPEAKER
(Mr Berry) took the chair at 10.30 am, and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.Legislative Assembly-security of chamber
Statement by Speaker
MR SPEAKER
: Members, you will note that there are some changed arrangements at the entry to the chamber. Yesterday there was an incident where somebody from the gallery entered the chamber and breached the traditional security that we have in this place. I have considered this matter overnight and there are some changed arrangements with the rope line. I had intended to place the bar across the entrance to the floor of the chamber but some members had some concerns, and we will deal with that later. But there are security issues in hand in the secretariat, which I will be considering in due course and which will come to the attention of the Administration and Procedure Committee.Gaming Machine (Allocation) Amendment Bill 2003
Mr Stefaniak
, pursuant to notice, presented the bill and its explanatory statement.Title read by acting clerk.
MR STEFANIAK
(10.34): I move:That this bill be agreed to in principle.
The Gaming Machine (Allocation) Amendment Bill is a simple amendment to the Gaming Machine Act. Mr Speaker, in accordance with your ruling, I have brought forward my amendments in the form of a substantive bill. This bill basically faithfully replicates the amendments I sought to move in May, which members I think are well aware of.
Mr Speaker, poker machines came into ACT clubs back in 1976. Those of us who lived in the territory at the time would probably recall some amazing analogies, such as the Queanbeyan Leagues Club, which was then a haven for persons from Canberra, having 25,000 members and Queanbeyan having a population of 20,000.
I said yesterday in the debate on the cap that whilst there are certain evils in relation to poker machines, as there are with any form of gambling, the money from the machines has been well used by the licensed clubs in the territory. Back in 1984 the current situation was put in place, and basically two class A machines were allowed into taverns and hotels. The class A machines are basically the old slot machines, the fruit machines, and they were restricted by the legislation to a payout of no more than 40 20 cent coins, namely $8. Those machines ceased to operate in the territory, I believe, in 1993 or 1994. The last tavern that actually had them was the Shanty at Woden, run by John Press.
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