Page 2164 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 August 2016
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This amendment bill amends six acts and regulations that form part of the gaming and racing legislation suite, including the Gaming Machine Act 2004 and the Race and Sports Bookmaking Act 2001. The amendments also address recommendation 13 of the public accounts committee inquiry into elements impacting on the future of the ACT clubs sector. This amendment bill strikes the right balance between maintaining the integrity of the gaming industry through reasonable regulation while ensuring consumer protection and important harm minimisation measures continue to be upheld.
Through the provisions in this amendment bill, the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission will continue to exercise its vital regulatory oversight functions which promote the public interest, but with reduced red tape and increased efficiencies. While ensuring appropriate flexibility and the reduction of red tape for industry and the commission, the regulatory framework remains robust enough to reduce the risks and costs of problem gambling to individuals and the broader community.
These amendments to gaming and racing legislation do not reduce harm minimisation standards and protections or necessary regulation, but will modernise and streamline that regulation where possible. To that end, this amendment bill presents amendments that improve the gaming and racing regulatory framework and a number of initiatives in line with the government’s key commitment to reduce red tape.
Firstly, licensees will no longer be required to display licences and authorisation certificates at the main entrance to each gaming area at a club. This reduces a significant administrative burden, but the clubs must ensure the licences and authorisations are on hand to show any person upon request. This ensures transparency is continued. The mandatory display of these certificates adds nothing to harm minimisation or compliance in any practical way.
Further, interstate visitors to the ACT and its community clubs will now be able to enter a club premises without the sign-in of a club member, as recommended by the public accounts committee report. Interstate visitors will be considered temporary club members. The previous requirement to have a club member sign in our interstate guests was out of step with other jurisdictions and its removal will support our clubs in being more competitive and inviting, of course, to visitors.
As I indicated to the Assembly in June during introduction of this amendment bill, I have worked with my colleague Minister Rattenbury and experts in the Economic Development Directorate to develop suitable wording for new harm minimisation stickers on every gaming machine in the territory. Recent research in this area guided Minister Rattenbury and me in determining the best content for these harm minimisation messages. Importantly, the key measures for any messaging are the level of recall of the message and the level of impact of the message.
As evidenced by recent trials, messages that meet both these requirements are: “Have you spent more than you can afford?” and “Set your limit and play within it”. As the relevant minister, I will approve these messages under a notifiable instrument. One of these messages will need to be displayed on each gaming machine in the ACT from
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