Page 1489 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 4 May 2016
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MR HANSON: Chief Minister, for how long has the government been of the view that there are predatory clubs in Canberra?
MR BARR: Madam Speaker, when one looks at the various snapshots in time of the club industry and one looks at the model that effectively requires capital to continue to be accumulated and, therefore, ploughed back into the acquisition of an ever-increasing asset base, it is clear that, if you were to rewind 20 years there were more clubs and more smaller clubs in operation in this city at that time. Prior to the changes to the gaming machine rules, particularly around the trading scheme, the only way for the larger clubs to acquire more machines tended to be through the acquisition of smaller clubs. Fortunately, that model has changed, which I think is a good outcome.
But, ultimately, Madam Speaker, my great fear is that the club industry in the ACT will turn out a little bit like the fast food giants or the supermarket duopoly where the logical conclusion of the current trajectory is that we will end up with a situation where there are a very small number of large club groups that completely dominate the industry and where we will have moved a long way from the original purpose of clubs, particularly the small, community-based clubs.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Chief Minister, is the Labor Club a predatory club given that in the past it has taken over a smaller club?
MR BARR: The Labor Club certainly has grown in size over time.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR BARR: It has, and I certainly would not be supporting the Labor Club growing any larger.
Trade unions—memorandum of understanding
MR WALL: My question is to the minister for small business. Minister, when you were appointed as a minister were you aware of the memorandum of understanding between the ACT government and UnionsACT? When did you become aware of the MOU and how did you become aware of the MOU?
DR BOURKE: That was three questions, as far as I could tell, all compressed into one lot.
When I became a minister, I may have had some awareness of the existence of the MOU; I do not recall. But I have certainly become more aware of it since. Certainly I have become aware of it since, especially from the questions of the—
Opposition members interjecting—
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