Page 4446 - Week 14 - Thursday, 28 November 2013
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This government runs a men’s centre in Civic in the Griffin Centre, yet sees fit to close the women’s centre. The government and the minister are stripping money out of women’s services in Canberra. This petition highlights the lack of planning that has gone on, the ad hoc nature of the decision being made by the minister and that our community is losing faith that we are able to manage the task of delivering services to Canberra’s most vulnerable women.
It has come as a surprise. I must say I did not really expect it. Maybe I should have, but I am shocked that the minister can come to the table with a plan to close a service without being able to clearly articulate how that service will be provided or, at least, how the same objectives will be protected. We are told there will be another way but there is not an articulation of exactly how.
The public deserves to know. The women who have phoned, emailed, dropped in or attended a course deserve to know how those who want to, in January or February, will be able to access this kind of service. It really is not good enough to just say “wait and see” as if we were little children who were not entitled to know.
I applaud the signatories on this petition for making their voices heard. If the minister cannot articulate how the phone service, internet service, drop-in centre and educative functions of the Women’s Information and Referral Centre will be delivered then the centre should remain open.
Gambling and Racing Commission—report
Paper and statement by minister
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Disability, Children and Young People, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Women, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Racing and Gaming): For the information of members, I present the following paper:
Gaming Machine Act, pursuant to section 168—Community contributions made by Gaming Machine Licensees—Report by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission—1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013, dated 24 October 2013.
I ask leave to make a statement in relation to the paper.
Leave granted.
MS BURCH: I present the report on the community contributions made by gaming machine licensees for the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013. The report is a requirement of the Gaming Machine Act 2004 and is prepared by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission. The act requires club licensees to make a minimum community contribution of eight per cent to their net gaming machine revenue each financial year. The minimum level of contribution was raised from seven per cent as of 1 July 2011 to ensure that the claimed payments to the problem gambling assistance fund were in addition to the previous level of required community contributions. Hotel and tavern gaming machine licensees are not required by the act
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