Page 4245 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 22 September 2010
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ACTCOSS, in their submission to the same inquiry, said:
Clearly it is not desirable to have a situation where the resources available to address problem gambling are subject to annual decisions by gaming venues. No matter how well-intentioned they may be, there are a number of other causes to which their community contributions may be directed. The support provided by Gambling Care and its counsellors should have greater security of funding.
The current arrangements are simply inadequate. The 40 per cent increase in demand for help associated with problem gambling translates into 42,000 of the ACT population, as I said. And with this, you can only wonder just how many of the 42,000 affected go without the basic necessities of life due to a family member or members losing household income on gambling.
Regular gaming machine players, those playing at least once a week, are estimated to spend on average around $6,000 to $8,000 per annum, a sizeable share of household income and a key source of harm to some. As the ACTCOSS submission referred to earlier states, those suffering a gambling addiction, problem gamblers, are predominantly low income earners. So these losses, in proportionate terms, represent a very significant harm.
The Productivity Commission reported in their overview on page 9 in relation to community contributions:
… contributions by clubs are highly valued by many. However, it also needs to be acknowledged that:
these contributions tend to be narrowly focused on sport activities and on subsidised benefits for club members.
We acknowledge that the clubs have competing demands within the community categories under the current legislation. However, with the growing problem of gambling addiction, there is a need for more security of funding for counsellors and those working across a range of organisations to address the problem gambling issue.
To address this issue, the bill provides that a set percentage of gross gaming revenue is allocated to problem gambling services. The fund is to be managed and distributed by the Gambling and Racing Commission to organisations that will provide that assistance. This bill requires licence holders to, as I said, contribute 0.75 per cent of their gross gaming machine revenue to what will be called the Problem Gambling Assistance Fund to be administered by the Gambling and Racing Commission. And this is a separate requirement to the existing seven per cent clubs are required to provide as community contributions in the ACT.
There will be a need to put interim arrangements in place quickly following the end of the clubcare contract on 31 December of this year and then allow for an open tender process to ensure best value for money and the selection of the most effective services for those that need assistance. This new funding of about $1.3 million, or an increase of close to $900,000 on what was allocated by the clubs this year to problem
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