Page 4867 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 27 November 2018
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The charge has been made by the Canberra Liberals spokesperson today that we are shutting down the clubs industry. In the same speech he recognised that gaming machine revenue is going down. There is nothing new about the Liberal spokesperson holding two counter positions at the one time and even in the one speech. The government, on the other hand, recognise—and many clubs acknowledge—that there is no future in relying on gaming machines as a sole source of revenue, and that is why we are delivering incentives to invest in new business models and lines.
New businesses will mean more options for club members to take advantage of. It will mean continued employment for club workers and it will mean a sustainable future for clubs. That is why we are also consulting closely on how our community contributions scheme can return an even greater amount of revenue to the community.
The government are adopting a public health approach to gambling because we recognise that gambling harm is not just a problem for the individual. I have personally seen too often and in too much depth and too much detail that it affects others around the gambler—the bills that are not paid on time, the child who is left at home for hours, the family who are evicted from their home. Early research in Victoria indicates an association between accessibility to gaming machines and domestic and family violence. These effects are real and they can be felt right across our community. The government is committed to reducing the number of gaming machine authorisations in the ACT, and this legislation delivers the pathway to achieve that.
I am pleased that in 18 months no more than 4,000 gaming machines will be able to operate in the ACT. Over the past year we have heard the brave and strong voices of those with personal, lived experience of the harm that gaming machines can cause. We are introducing a positive obligation on club directors to act as far as practicable in a way that reduces gambling harm. Where licensees do not meet their obligation to reduce harm and protect consumers, the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission will now have an expanded regulatory toolbox. We are introducing enforceable undertakings as well as a public register of those undertakings and disciplinary action taken. The maximum penalties for breaches by gaming machine licensees are also being increased.
Throughout this year we have heard about the importance of clubs supporting the Canberra community. Clubs indeed provide a diverse range of facilities and activities to their members and their guests and they support a great many people across the broader community through the community contributions scheme. But it has become clear that the scheme could become more effective, and this bill implements two key government commitments to improve the direct community benefit of the scheme.
Under the revised scheme more money will be distributed to the community from the proceeds of gaming machines and the contributions will reach more of Canberra’s community. The new transparency and reporting requirements for the scheme mean the community will have better information about where clubs’ community contributions are going and who and what they are supporting. Clubs do a lot of good in our community, but under the current reporting regime it can be difficult to
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