Page 1235 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 11 April 2018
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MR RATTENBURY: It is pretty interesting. Mr Parton dished out all sorts of insults, and we sat here and listened quietly. But we have Mr Coe shouting across the chamber as I try to make my remarks. He will get his chance to speak in a second, and I invite him to make his observations when he stands and gets the Speaker’s call.
The Greens do not believe that the government should develop a reliance on revenue from sports betting, including revenue from greyhound racing. However, we were pleased to secure the government’s commitment to redirect the $1 million subsidy previously provided to the greyhound industry, for prize money, to transition support for workers and those impacted by the ending of the greyhound industry here in the ACT, as well as animal welfare organisations, in the 2017-18 budget. If the government is currently subject to an arrangement where it is continuing to receive Tabcorp revenue, it is important to ensure that the money is going to organisations that offset the potential harms of those activities.
In the case of greyhound racing, we would like to see a commitment that any revenue derived from betting on greyhound racing goes to support organisations working to improve animal welfare outcomes in the territory. There are plenty of them. There are the RSPCA, the Greyhound Support Network, and ACT Rescue and Foster. And there is domestic animal services, which is a government agency but could undoubtedly do with an increase in resources. This would be similar to the way that our clubs are required to provide a contribution to the problem gambling assistance fund, which is derived from a percentage of gaming machine revenue. There is plenty of work to be done out there and there are plenty of good places to spend this revenue.
The Greens believe that we should endeavour to make our investments as ethical as possible. Where there is the potential for harm from any investments that we have, we should seek to offset those harms by investing in relevant social and community activities. I believe that, to date, the government has demonstrated a commitment to invest in animal welfare as part of the transition away from greyhound racing in the territory. I am pleased to see that the amendment references a continued commitment to the welfare of greyhounds moving forwards.
Unfortunately, the government amendment removes the recognition that Mr Parton provided to the Greens for the significant work we have done to promote ethical investments, improve animal welfare and reduce gambling harm in the territory. Nonetheless, I take this opportunity to put on the record that we are proud of our achievements on these important issues and the contribution we have made to these policy developments in this city.
Whilst Mr Parton’s motion raises some interesting questions about government revenue and the ethical nature of our investments, it does not provide the full picture of what the government is doing in this area. Thanks to key items in the parliamentary agreement, the government has invested $1 million in the greyhound industry transition, and is developing a clear plan to reduce the number of poker machines in the territory. The government should not be condemned for taking these concrete steps; in fact, we should celebrate these things as important social developments in this jurisdiction.
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