S TAFF P RESENTATION

Following last year’s close Federal Election results, PM Julia Gillard signed an agreement with Tasmanian Independent, Andrew Wilkie, in return for his support of her minority government. The agreement requires her government to implement gambling reforms including a mandatory pre-commitment (MPC) scheme on gaming machines and limiting withdrawal amounts from ATM’s in clubs to $250. MPC requires any person wanting to gamble to show identification and register to obtain a card to be able to gamble. Players would need to use a card with pre-set spending limits. If you don’t have a card, you can’t play. Most recreational gamblers would be unwilling to go to the trouble of registering and using a card, and as a result it is estimated that clubs and pubs will lose up to 30% of revenue.

Problem gambling is an area of concern for the broader community, and an issue worthy of government attention. However, a licence to punt treats all gaming machine players as problem gamblers. Most recreational gamblers would be unwilling to register and use a card to play – that’s a lot more complicated than simply dropping $20 into a machine. So pubs and clubs would lose revenue from recreational gamblers, not problem gamblers.

Clubs and pubs are vital in supporting other industries, including many local businesses, sponsoring sporting groups, and community events, provide money for veterans’ services, donate to local charities and bring people together as places of relaxation and socialising. Clubs also have an important role in helping older people maintain social connections at a time of decreasing social participation for many.

A KPMG study shows that in NSW alone a 30% revenue downturn for clubs would result in forced closure of many clubs and more than 11,500 jobs would be lost in NSW clubs alone. Some estimates to implement MPC are around $25,000 per gaming machine, and as we have x machines so it would cost us around $xmillion. This is money that our Club does not have. We have received a quotation to maintain this system and the cost has come back at $105,000 per year. (based on 190 egms)

Myth:MPC system will reduce problem gambling Fact:Problem gamblers will be able to set an arbitrary and high limit on these ‘smart cards’ and continue to gamble. Myth:The gaming industry is not serious about problem gambling Fact:QLD’s existing responsible gaming framework is working and has seen the rate of problem gambling in QLD fall from 0.83% in 2001 to 0.37% of the adult population in 2009 and continues to decline. Myth:Australian gaming machine players are losing in excess of $1200 per hour. Fact:This is not possible in Qld. In Qld gaming is restricted to $5 maximum per bet. The maximum potential loss per hour is $450.

The Un-Australian campaign is progressing and more club members and patrons are becoming aware of the mandatory pre-commitment issue and the devastating effects it will have on them, local clubs and the community. Club management and staff are essentially the face of the campaign. We are the ones who face possible job loss, wage reduction or lessened work hours. Therefore it is necessary for us to support this campaign. How can we each do this?

On Fri 5 th & Sat 6 th August all rostered staff will use a dedicated computer to log into the Its-UnAustralian website and click on “SIGN THE PETITION” and then also the “CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MP” This should take no longer than 3 minutes.

This is the “Sign the Petition” screen which just requires the details section to be completed and then click on JOIN

This is the “Contact your local MP” screen which just requires the details section to be completed. When you enter your postcode the MP for your electorate will be displayed and there is a pro-forma letter already written which you can add to if you like. This will be ed to your MP once you click on SUBMIT