Page 2648 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 25 September 2007
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These initiatives—including restrictions on gambling advertising and promotions; mandatory staff training; self-exclusion programs; the appointment of a trained gambling contact officer for each licensee; the availability of information for patrons, including signage and the odds of winning major jackpots, which we have already heard about; and access to counselling services—have been critical in helping those that need assistance.
I wish to emphasise that the club industry takes its responsibilities very seriously. Its contribution to the community through the provision of social facilities and the provision of community contributions is a critical and valuable part of our society. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I have made it plain that without the revenue from gambling machines it would not be possible for all of these community facilities to be available.
It is interesting to note that the ACT is less reliant on gambling tax revenue than other jurisdictions. As we have been advised, the Commonwealth Grants Commission assesses the ACT as making a below-average effort in raising revenue from gambling taxes. The Australian Bureau of Statistics taxation revenue data for 2004-05 shows that revenue from all gambling taxes represented 6.7 per cent of the total ACT taxation revenue, below the national average of 8.7 per cent, and the second lowest behind Western Australia.
Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I conclude by saying that the club industry provides not only a valuable role but a critical role in our society by providing essential community facilities that would otherwise not exist. This is balanced by the clubs taking a responsible approach to harm minimisation in relation to problem gambling that may result from a small number of people not being able to control their gambling activity.
MADAM TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): Order! It being 4.28 pm, the time for the matter of public importance has expired.
Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Hargreaves) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Belwest Foxes Soccer Club
MR BERRY (Ginninderra) (4.29): This afternoon I take the opportunity once again to recognise the work in the community of the Belwest Foxes Soccer Club. Belwest Foxes are a fun-based, family and community oriented organisation which provide the environment for anyone in the West Belconnen area to participate in the game of football, the world game—or soccer, if you wish to call it that—regardless of skill or ability, and they are spectacularly successful. In 2007, 765 men, women, boys and girls registered and donned the Belwest strip.
As a patron of the club, I had the pleasure of attending the presentations for the 2007 season over the last few weeks. On Saturday, 8 September there was a presentation at
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