Page 1664 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 July 2020
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Clubs have gone through a period of very significant reform over the past five years. They have engaged constructively with the government’s reform agenda and, working together, we have reduced the number of gaming machine authorisations by around 20 per cent, from 4,938 in August 2018 to 3,888 today.
The public health approach to addressing gambling harm has been lived out in the increasing contributions to the gambling harm prevention and mitigation fund, which funds a range of ways that people can be educated, supported and counselled in relation to gambling harm. We have introduced restrictions on EFTPOS withdrawals in clubs to complement existing ATM cash withdrawal limits, and we have established the diversification and sustainability support fund, which has assisted clubs to diversify their revenue streams and move away from reliance on gaming revenue while still fulfilling their role to the community in supporting around 10,000 community, sport and multicultural groups.
We know supporting clubs to diversify their revenue streams and move away from such a heavy reliance on gaming revenue is part of reducing gambling harm. At the same stage, it is important in building a strong and vibrant club sector. Diversification efforts take time, and I look forward to seeing the ongoing fruits of the measures over coming years.
The ACT government acknowledges the pressure clubs have been under to remain viable, to keep people employed and to support their communities during the ongoing pandemic. We believe in the fundamental importance for clubs to survive, to recover and to thrive. Clubs are an integral part of Canberra’s social fabric. They provide key community infrastructure. They play an important role in the social life of many Canberrans as meeting places, as employers of around 1,745 people, in supporting countless community groups, sporting codes and, as I have mentioned, our rich multicultural community.
That is why we have been pleased to be able to provide significant support to clubs during this very difficult time. Part of the economic survival package was the distribution of $3.3 million to clubs from the diversification sustainability support fund, supplementing the existing $1.8 million that was held in the fund with an additional $1.5 million. That supported emergency relief funding for the payment of wages and other income support for club staff. That funding represents at least 4.4 times the contributions made by each club to that fund to date.
Also, as part of the economic survival package, clubs were given the opportunity to participate in a further voluntary surrender process to access cash payments with $15,000 per authorisation. I was pleased that four clubs took part in the process, surrendering a further 109 authorisations in return for $1.635 million in incentive payments to support the clubs in reducing the impact of gambling harm.
In relation to Mr Rattenbury’s call for bet limits, it is important to note that there are significant challenges in implementing these restrictions for the existing gaming machines. Most gaming machines in ACT clubs are based on older technology than that in other jurisdictions. There may be steps that can be taken, but there will be costs involved and there are significant questions about whether the clubs can bear those costs at this moment, as they recover from COVID-19.
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