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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-05 Daily Xml
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GAMING MACHINES (HOURS OF OPERATION) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 8 May 2008. Page 3262.)

Mr GOLDSWORTHY (Kavel) (10:49): I am pleased to make a contribution in relation to the bill introduced by the member for Davenport. Last time the house dealt with this legislation, I had commenced my remarks in relation to the bill. However, it being only a few minutes to 12 when time expired for dealing with this part of private members business, I was cut short, and so I now continue my comments. I support the legislation introduced by the member for Davenport.

My position in relation to poker machines and gaming (as the industry calls it) is reasonably well known in this place and in the broader community. When the legislation was introduced by the government in 2004 (from memory) to reduce the number of machines by 3,000, I supported every measure. It was a conscience vote. I supported ever measure, including amendments moved by the government and private members. I recall that the member for Mitchell moved a considerable number of amendments which I supported. They concerned issues such as the location of automatic teller machines in licensed premises.

It has been my view that, if you have a licensed premises with gaming machines, poker machines, then an automatic teller machine should not be located in those premises. A reasonable amount of research which has been undertaken on that particular issue shows that it reduces the number of people in our community who are at risk of problem gambling. It reduces the likelihood of their continuing to gamble once they have expended the money that they have in front of them at the machine. As I said, my position on poker machines is well known and well covered in the local media in the electorate of Kavel in the Adelaide Hills. That is notwithstanding the fact that my family has some very close friends involved in the hotel industry. Arguably, some significant leaders in the hotel industry are our close family friends and, no doubt, my position in relation to gaming may be different from their position. Nonetheless, they respect my position. Probably they do not agree with it but they respect it; and, certainly, it does not affect our relationship. I enjoy attending the Christmas lunch hosted by the hotels' association, the AHA; and, as I said, I have a number of close friends within the industry.

Coming to the substance of the bill, the actual time period that poker machines are allowed under their licence to operate needs some further regulation. I see street signs in my electorate outside gaming venues indicating that those establishments actually open at 7 o'clock in the morning—7am to 9pm, from memory, according to one of the advertisements placed out in the street. I do not know about you, Mr Speaker, but I think that allowing establishments to open at 7 o'clock in the morning so that people can gamble is not really good public policy. I just do not think that allowing people to start gambling at 7 o'clock in the morning is something of benefit generally to the community.

I understand that, at the moment, regulations within legislation state that the gaming venues must be closed for three two-hour periods in a 24-hour time frame. In reality, obviously not all gaming venues close at the same time over that six-hour period. Some venues might close from 2am to 4am or from 6am to 8am, and so on; however, other venues are open in the metropolitan area and, obviously, the proximity of one venue to another is relatively close, so that someone with an addiction to gambling can gamble on poker machines 24 hours a day, going from one to another.

It is not terribly difficult, as I said, to find three or four metropolitan hotels with poker machines in relatively close proximity so that people can move around them with relative ease. I think that any measure to assist problem gamblers to break or to reduce their habit is worthy of support.

The member for Davenport's proposal is that all gaming venues, apart from the Casino, close at 3am and not reopen until 9am. That gives a six-hour break right across the whole state, so that, even if a poor soul feels compelled to keep playing the poker machines, they cannot—they have no outlet for that activity, they have no outlet to continue that addiction. I believe that it is a good and sensible measure and, certainly, a measure worthy of support.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr O'Brien.

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