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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 9 Hansard (7 September) . . Page.. 3114 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

Commissioner who is interested in what is necessary in terms of running the fairest possible elections.

Mr Quinlan: Why is it so?

MR MOORE: His recommendation is reflected in the legislation and it should be supported. Mr Quinlan interjects. I could spend some more time once again explaining the difference between a $400 donation and a donation that is millions and millions of dollars, the likely influence that one is going to have as opposed to the other one, and the fact that I do not see the clubs taking on the Labor Party.

The AHA have given me a very hard time on quite a number of issues since I have become minister. So I think that there is a clear distinction. It comes down to this really: I am not overworried about whether they make a $400 donation to me next time, whereas if you guys do not get the money from the poker machines for your next election your chances of getting re-elected are quite slim. Individually your chances are reduced significantly.

Mr Berry: I will tell you what I will do: I will put my money on my chances against yours, and I reckon I would get decent odds around the place too.

MR SPEAKER: Are you planning to address the Assembly or are you having a private conversation with somebody?

Mr Berry: I am planning to address the Assembly and in fact I will be happy to do so as soon as you give me the nod, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: I call Mr Berry.

MR BERRY (12.32 am): So sensitive are this lot opposite about the sensible decision Labor Party members made years ago to establish a licensed club, so sensitive are they about the decision by the trade union movement and the building workers to set up some clubs ages ago-and much of the work that went into them was probably voluntary of one sort or another; and they put those clubs together for their own particular social and political interests-that they are prepared to attack the entire licensed club industry in the Australian Capital Territory. They are bitter because they did not have the wit between them to try to set one up themselves. Or was it because they could not find enough friends to form a club? I think that is probably closer to the mark.

Earlier yesterday the debate went something like this: I said that I would not mind if the Liberals had a little club of their own because then they would probably stop carping about this and my colleague Mr Quinlan replied, "Well, we'll soon get them a little club-give them a big one, let them manage it for a while and it will soon become small." I think that is pretty close to the mark.

What has happened here is that good sense has gone out the window because of their bitterness over the success of Labor clubs and clubs associated with the trade union movement. Because of this they are prepared to attack the entire licensed club movement all over the territory. My recollection of the figures is that there are something like 300,000 club memberships out there and a lot of these people have multiple club

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