MEDIA RELEASE

NICK XENOPHON M.L.C.

INDEPENDENT NO POKIES MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

25 July 2004

THE 10^th ANNIVERSARY OF POKIES PROMPTS A CHALLENGE TO STATE MPs FOR A REFERENDUM AT THE NEXT STATE ELECTION

POKIES: GIVE THE PEOPLE A SAY

·        Pokies losses after 10 years at $4.78 billion, with Government collecting $1.8 billion in taxes, and the venues

          raking in almost $3 billion.

·        Losses currently hitting the $2 million a day mark.

·          Productivity Commission: 42.3% of pokies losses from problem gamblers.

On the 10^th Anniversary pokies flooded into SA hotels and clubs, No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon has called on Premier Mike Rann and Opposition Leader Rob Kerin to support a referendum at the next State Election on the future of pokies.

Mr Xenophon previously pushed for a referendum for the 2002 State Election but it was voted down on a combined vote of the Labor and Liberal parties.

The referendum questions in the Bill to be introduced in the Spring Session of Parliament will give South Australians a choice of phasing out pokies over 5 years from all venues, or alternatively to leave them in community clubs on a strictly limited basis.

“South Australians were never consulted on pokies when the law was passed in 1992 – even though an opinion poll at the time showed 60% opposition to them.”

Mr Xenophon pointed to independent research which showed over 23,000 South Australians had a gambling problem because of the pokies, and Productivity Commission research that each problem gambler affected the lives of 7 others – which translated to “over 180,000 South Australians being directly affected by the pokies bug.”

“If our State has previously had referenda on issues such as daylight saving and shopping hours, surely we can have one on an issue that has caused so much damage to so many families.”

“MPs on both sides of the fence have been sitting on the fence for too long to tackle gambling addiction head on  – a referendum on pokies has the potential to fix that once and for all.”

“Given that over 40% of pokies losses come from problem gamblers State Governments in the last decade have been balancing their books off the backs of the vulnerable and the addicted.  No amount of State taxes are worth it when you consider the human devastation that pokies have caused.

Written and authorised by Nick Xenophon, 653 Lower North East Road, Paradise, SA 5075