Responsible Gambling Awareness Week

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:02): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Business Services and Consumers a question about gaming venues and Responsible Gambling Awareness Week.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: At clause 48 of the Gambling Codes of Practice Notice 2013 gaming providers must establish and keep current and implement written procedures addressing children aged 10 years or less being left unattended. I also note that last week was Responsible Gambling Awareness Week.

Will the minister update the Legislative Council on Consumer and Business Services' recent compliance operation in relation to unattended children in gaming venues and the government's recent announcement acknowledging Responsible Gambling Awareness Week?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:03): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and I am pleased to advise members about Consumer and Business Services (CBS) and its recent compliance operation to ensure that gaming venues are complying with their responsibilities in relation to children being left unattended.

Parents who leave their children unattended while they are at the pokies have been targeted in the government's latest crackdown on gambling venues. This crackdown followed reports by some venues of children being left alone. In May 2014 CBS inspected about 40 licensed gaming venues in the metropolitan region, including car parks and adjacent areas, looking for children left unattended by parents playing gaming machines. I am very pleased to inform the chamber that this operation detected no unattended children.

However, several venues reported previous issues where minors had been left alone while their parents were at the pokies. In those instances venue operators most commonly ejected the parents from the venues, to return to their children, and in some cases venues referred the family to support services, notified police or pursued barring orders. This is about ensuring the safety of South Australian children in and around gaming venues. Gaming venues have a responsibility for the safety of children on the premises, and it is crucial that there are procedures in place should a child be detected alone in or around the venue.

During the CBS operation, the on-duty manager at each licensed venue was asked about their policies and procedures regarding the issue of unattended young children. Inspectors from CBS worked with these managers on best practices to identify and address issues of children left alone. These include regular checks of the venue and car park and how to approach parents when an unattended child is detected. Our community should feel confident that the government and the gaming industry are ensuring responsible attitudes towards the use of gaming machines.

I am also pleased to advise, as the Hon. John Gazzola acknowledged, that last week was Responsible Gambling Awareness Week and, in recognition, over 700 venues in South Australia featured increased signage to help inform problem gamblers of the risk they are taking under changes commencing from 1 July. The government announced these changes to the Independent Gambling Authority's gambling code of practice at the launch of Responsible Gambling Awareness Week. This demonstrated the government's commitment to ensuring responsible gambling in South Australia.

Under the changes, venues across the state offering on-site gambling will be required to ramp up their signage containing responsible gambling messages and also information about gambling help services. This will include hotels and clubs as well as, obviously, the Adelaide Casino. The government signage will be displayed more prominently, more frequently and closer to where patrons actually gamble. Our aim is to increase awareness of problem gambling and promote responsible gambling.

The signs must display information about problem gambling help services, including the phone number for the National Gambling Helpline which operates 24/7. The quantity and size of materials displayed by venues will depend on the gaming activity and the number of machines in that venue. Venues can also choose to display their own additional responsible gambling signage. The eye-catching signage features the helpline number and other confidential help services. A new gambling awareness campaign featuring posters and coasters was also rolled out in venues last week.

As we know, most people gamble responsibly, but we know that for every person who has a gambling issue between five and seven others are negatively impacted, so it has potentially a very serious social and economic impact. Existing multicultural signs are also being refreshed and expanded to incorporate more languages, and the gaming industry has worked in partnership with the Independent Gambling Authority and the government to assist in implementing these important changes.