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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 9 Hansard (22 August) . . Page.. 3195 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

ClubsACT understands that the above Bill is likely to be again on the Legislative Assembly agenda later today. I refer to our earlier position posed on the issue.

We should reiterate that the club movement as a whole continues to actively support the development and implementation of harm minimisation measures that are effective in assisting those in our community that have a gambling problem.

We supported the ACT Government's voluntary code and we issued a new draft Code of Practice for Responsible Gaming to our member clubs. The draft code was reviewed by Professor Jan McMillen of the AIGR. We are currently contributing to the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission's process that is developing a mandatory gambling code of practice and reviewing the Gaming Machine Act.

In addition we are actively involved with some clubs in working together with Lifeline to develop an ACT program to assist clubs to deal with problem gambling and gamblers, and some clubs have embarked on out-sourced, as well as in-house, programs.

In the tabling of this Bill late last year, the question of whether the people who play gaming machines during the hours in question are part of the group of people in the ACT who have gambling problems.

We believe that this is a matter that is being addressed in the study of problem gambling that is currently being undertaken by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission-the second stage of which, dealing with a needs analysis, is due out shortly.

There is no clear evidence available to answer this question, although there may be some problem gamblers that frequent clubs at this time.

However, as we indicated previously, the information that is currently available from clubs (including anecdotal evidence from staff employed on the early morning shifts) suggests the people who are in clubs at the hours in question are primarily shift workers-such as police and emergency service personnel, hospitality employees, postal workers, taxi drivers, cleaners, health care employees and similar employment groups.

These are people who generally do not use their club facilities during normal hours. If the Bill is passed, this small group of club members who chose/have to work these shift hours will be deprived of a significant part of the membership rights and privileges available to all other club members.

Data available from monitoring systems used by the affected clubs indicates that the number of people using gaming machines in the early hours is very small. While the overall level of trading in those clubs is described as marginal during these hours-

something which I think was highlighted by the Chief Minister in the numbers that he put before this place earlier-

it is generally sufficient to warrant the clubs remaining open as a service to their members. However, if the Bill is passed it will have a significant effect on the viability of extended early hour operations.

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