Media Release: MA joins campaign to advance poker machine reform

Mission Australia has thrown its support behind a campaign, jointly launched by Independent Tasmanian MP, Andrew Wilkie, and advocacy group, GetUp, to combat attempts to undermine the Federal Government’s planned poker machine reforms.

Clubs Australia recently announced it would spend $20 million on an advertising campaign to have the reforms – announced in an agreement between Wilkie and Prime Minister Julia Gillard in September 2010 – reversed.

The reforms include implementing a $250 daily withdrawal limit for ATMs in venues with poker machines, mandatory pre-commitment betting limits, and support for dynamic warning and ‘cost of play’ displays on machines.

The Wilkie/GetUp campaign seeks to sign up 100,000 names via a petition in support of the reforms. It is designed to combat any success Clubs Australia’s advertising might have in convincing government to reverse or water down its plans.

Mission Australia’s CEO, Toby Hall, said he had written a message to the organisation’s 3,500 staff nationally encouraging them to sign the petition.

“Every year Mission Australia helps more than 300,000 people facing various challenges in their lives – homelessness, addiction, family conflict, mental illness, long-term unemployment,” said Mr Hall.

“I can’t tell you how many people we see who are in one of those situations, or have had their lives and the lives of their families destroyed, as a result of problem gambling.

“It’s too late to get the genie back into the bottle – Australia made a mistake long ago in allowing the expansion of poker machines in almost every state and territory. But what we can do is a far more effective job at combating problem gambling – most of which occurs via poker machines.

“The research is in: problem gambling is out of control in Australia. The Productivity Commission’s independent report recommending measures to tackle the issue are balanced, sensible and should be pursued.

“That’s why I wrote to Mission Australia’s 3,500 staff today to encourage them to sign the Wilkie/GetUp petition.

“Our staff see the tragedy of problem gambling day in and day out. Their efforts help hundreds of problem gamblers back on their feet. I believed this was another way they could make a contribution and I expect the majority to take up the opportunity.

“We all need to do our bit to let the government know we support its plans and to head off any changes,” said Mr Hall.


Further reading

•  Getup: Petition for Pokie Reform
•  Yesterday's news: Rise in betting on the net a concern
• All gambling related stories from MA