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MEDIA RELEASE
NICK XENOPHON M.L.C. INDEPENDENT
NO POKIES MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
GOVERNMENT’S
PREMATURE EXULTATION On
the day the Government’s new pokies laws come into place, No Pokies MLC Nick
Xenophon has challenged the Rann Government to go “much,
much further” to tackle problem gambling, and has vowed to introduce
further legislation this year aimed at “substantially
reducing gambling addiction”. Mr
Xenophon said the legislation passed late last year was a “mixed
bag”. “Whilst I welcome any
reduction in the number of pokies, the people of South Australia need to know
that Treasury’s own budget forecasts have stated that this measure (of
reducing pokies by 3,000) will lead to a reduction of the rate of growth
of gambling losses from 5.5% to 5% - big deal.” “The Government (and
most of the Opposition) caved in to the pokies barons by delaying smoking bans
in pokies rooms until October 31, 2007 – an immediate ban would have had a
much bigger impact in reducing pokies losses and problem gambling.” In
Mr
Xenophon said the Parliamentary deal done with the pokies lobby to give 10 year
certainty to the industry for pokies numbers and tax levels is “a
slap in the face to all those hurt by pokies addiction – many of whom have
lost all certainty in their lives – why should the pokies operators be on a
sure thing?” Mr
Xenophon said he was “gob-smacked” the
Premier was trumpeting the $2 million increase in gamblers rehabilitation
funding when the Government strongly opposed his amendment to increase funding
for the scheme. “If it wasn’t for
the Libs and cross-benchers in the Upper House supporting my amendment I am
convinced this wouldn’t have happened.”
Written
and authorised by Nick Xenophon, 653 Lower North East Road, Paradise, SA 5075
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