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Date: 13th October 2004 Ref No. 2904
Some Better 10 Year Guarantees - Better Than Pokies Number Guarantee!
The Parliament is apparently considering giving in to a Hotels Association ambit claim that there be a guaranteed number of Poker Machines in Hotels for the next 10 years. Uniting Care Wesley believes that any such guarantee would be disastrous for problem gambling and oversteps any reasonable role of Government.
“ In short, the Hotels are asking for a 10 year guarantee, a huge benefit that is not handed to other businesses and therefore is completely unfair,” said Mark Henley Manager of Advocacy and Communication. “Already the Hotels industry has had the huge windfall gain of 10 years of free pokies licenses and minimal regulation or controls – a gain that has come at considerable costs for other businesses: cafés, sporting goods retailers, restaurants, craft shops and galleries – the list goes on!”
UnitingCare Wesley urges all parliamentarians to think of some of the other 10 year guarantees that could be part of the pokies legislation, 10 year guarantees that
· There will be no more problem gamblers
through to 2014
· All hotels will fully comply with codes of practice and harm minimisation
programs
· There will be a 10 year pokies profit cap, with excess profits returned
directly to the community.
“ It’s a curious position the AHA adopts, they don’t want any ‘government interference’ in poker machine numbers – leave it to the market they say, yet they want government interference to legislate for machine number certainty and a guaranteed tax ceiling – the Hotels can’t have it both ways,” Mr Henley added.
If the Parliament is prepared ti consider a 10 year pokies guarantee for pubs, perhaps they can also give the SA public some 10 year certainties like:
· No electricity of gas price rises for 10 years
· Maximum wait of 2 hours in hospital casualty departments
· Job guarantee for all SA Citizens
· No class larger than 18 students in SA Schools
“ The parliament is clearly unable to deliver on these sort of guarantees, and they are much more beneficial than a pokies number guarantee – so surely it is not the role of government to give Hotels 10 year certainty,” said Mr Henley “it is also irresponsible for a parliament to unnecessarily restrict the policy options of future parliaments.”
UnitingCare Wesley also advises the parliament to retain the clause for the legislation that is before it requiring poker machine licenses to be renewed every 5 years. “Annual license renewal is common for many businesses. The proposed 5 year pokies license renewal is a mechanism requiring Hotels and clubs to be audited for compliance with their service responsibilities. The track record of Hotels is not good with responsible gambling strategies, only starting to be applied when the Independent gambling Authority was established, and taking 10 years to employ their first “Responsible Gambling Officer” Mr Henley concluded.
Further Comment:
Mark Henley
Manager Advocacy & Communication
8202 5135 (w)
0404 067 011 (m)
8370 1112 (h)
