Pro Bono Australia – Peak social services organisation UnitingCare Australia has expressed its deep disappointment in the Federal Coalition Government’s plan to scrap changes to the national gambling reform.
Last week, the Coalition made its move to dismantle the national gambling reform that includes voluntary pre-commitment on poker machines, dynamic warnings and $250 daily ATM withdrawal limits in gaming venues.
Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews told ABC radio that if it wasn’t for the deal between Tasmanian Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and former Prime Minister Julia Gillard to keep her in The Lodge, the reform would never have happened.
“Primarily this [gambling regulation] is a state responsibility and we’re returning it to the state,” he said on Radio National.
However UnitingCare Australia National Director Lin Hatfield Dodds said the Coalition and Labor need to reconsider this decision.
“The Productivity Commission estimates that 40 per cent of the industry’s profits on pokies come from people with a serious gambling problem, and another 20 per cent from those with a moderate or developing problem,” Hatfield Dodds said.
“Politics was set aside last year as the Federal Government successfully navigated the historic poker machine reform legislation through Parliament.
“It can again be above politics. Setting loss limits and enabling people to break through the stigma and seek help were important breakthroughs. The National Gambling Reform Bill 2012 was a solid platform for further reform.”
