Gambling Reform

The Hon. C. BONAROS (17:14): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government and the Treasurer representing the Attorney-General a question about gambling harm and the election.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: During the South Australian election campaign, the Australian Hotels Association (SA) ran a multimillion dollar campaign online and on the ground, targeted solely against SA-Best, aimed directly at impacting the outcome of the election to ensure that no meaningful gambling reform will be achieved in South Australia. To add insult to injury, the Liberal Party held its election night party at the Maid and Magpie, where posters were plastered on walls against SA-Best, forcing staff—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: It wasn't the Maid and Magpie.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: Wasn't it? At a hotel—I apologise—wearing badges against SA-Best. Ian Horne, the AHA's general manager, confirmed that over the 2017 calendar year the organisation contributed to both the Liberal Party and the Labor Party. In answer to why the AHA made such donations, Mr Horne provided the simple reason: 'Why do we do it? Well, they ask for it. If they stop asking, we'll stop giving.' Does the government acknowledge that the money paid in donations to the Liberal Party and the Labor Party by the AHA is in part derived from poker machine addicts? Why is the government comfortable in accepting such donations?

Will the Leader of the Government confirm for the public record that it does not intend to water down gambling legislation, particularly in relation to poker machines? Will the Liberal Party stop asking for donations from the AHA and other gambling lobbies, given the devastating impact we know poker machines have on the South Australian community?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (17:16): In relation to the question about the government's intentions in relation to gambling legislation, that will be an issue I would need to refer to the Attorney-General, the minister responsible for gambling in South Australia. I am not aware. There was nothing in our policy program or package that we took to the election—the 100-day plan, which is being fondly quoted by members of this chamber—that related to gambling reform.

In relation to donations to political parties, the Liberal Party's position has been quite clear: there is the law of the state, the law of the land and we will have to abide by it. If the parliament changes the law of the land or the law of the state, then we will abide by those changes in laws. There is nothing that prevents donations from industry groups or stakeholders or, indeed, trade unions and others. There is nothing that prevents avid antigambling campaigners from giving money to parties that have antigambling policies.

There are any number of people who donate to political parties—both the major parties and the minor parties—who are either advocating for or against a particular policy position. There is nothing in the law which says that that's unlawful. If, for example, there were people who were attracted to SA-Best because of their policy platform on a particular issue, either for or against, they are perfectly entitled to support SA-Best or, indeed, any political party in relation to that particular position.

The Liberal Party's position is quite simple. If it's lawful, if it's legal, then there is nothing wrong with accepting donations from industry groups or, indeed, individuals. If the parliament makes a change to that particular law, then the Liberal Party and indeed all parties will need to abide by those particular changes. I think, by way of interjection, the member's reference to a particular hotel was corrected. What the Liberal Party's position has been is that we were just trying to find a venue big enough to accept all the people who wanted to celebrate getting rid of a very bad government after 16 years. Short of hiring Adelaide Oval or some venue like that, we had to find a venue that could fit many hundreds of people into both the venue and the car park to celebrate the end of a very bad government after 16 years.

I actually can't recall either election nights or victory nights (there haven't been that many of those) or loss nights that have been held in any venue other than a hotel in South Australia. I think the Labor Party have used football clubs. Again, football clubs also have poker machines in them. So, that was the choice.

In relation to the issues of changes to gambling policy, I will refer that to the appropriate minister and bring back a reply, but I am not aware of any announced policy or intended policy in relation to changes to gambling policy.