Page 5429 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 8 December 2009
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entertainment and social benefits for the ACT community, but we need to be mindful of the cost to our community through the impact of problem gambling.
In supporting this amendment to the Racing Act 1999, the ACT Greens urge the government and ACTTAB to pay close attention to this and direct funding and resources to assist with problem gambling and continue to financially support community groups who raise awareness of the negative impacts of gambling and provide support and counselling services to problem gamblers.
We have been advised that legislation similar to this is being challenged through the courts in other states and there is considerable resistance from betting operators to paying these charges. Decisions from these cases are not expected until well into 2010, but we understand the ACT has little to worry about if these challenges are successful. It will mean, in fact, that while we miss out on the $1.5 million expected under this amendment, we no longer will have to pay out the $2.7 million we do at present.
In conclusion, this amendment has the ACT Greens’ support. If, as proposed, the scheme is managed effectively at low cost by the Gambling and Racing Commission, it will assist the ACT racing clubs to improve their revenue streams and benefit the ACT budget. It is important, however, as I have noted, to ensure that the issue of problem gambling is continually addressed and that funding for these programs is increased to meet current and future needs of individuals who are addicted to gambling and their families who suffer because of this addiction.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (11.27), in reply: I thank members for their contributions to this debate. As previous speakers have mentioned, this amendment bill provides for the introduction of a new source of revenue for ACT racing clubs. The charge enabled by the bill is something the ACT racing clubs have been seeking for some time and it is important that this new source of revenue be provided to support sustainability and to allow growth in the local racing industry into the future.
The bill is required because it is not expected that wagering operators would pay a charge to use ACT race fields without the backing of legislation. Wagering operators who take bets on ACT racing obtain a benefit from racing activity in the territory. However, wagering operators throughout Australia do not currently contribute to the ACT industry. This charge is seen as a means of ensuring that they contribute to the activity from which they obtain revenue and profits.
Similar schemes exist or are being developed in all other jurisdictions except for the Northern Territory. Specifically, this charge will go some way towards the clubs being recompensed for the benefits accruing to wagering operators from being able to use ACT race fields.
A primary element of this bill is that Australian licensed wagering operators must be approved by the Gambling and Racing Commission if they wish to use ACT race field information. The bill makes it an offence to use such information without approval. The charge will be set by each ACT racing controlling body—the Canberra Racing Club, the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club and the Canberra Harness Racing Club.
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