Labor MLA Dr Marisa Paterson’s bill to prohibit poker machines from the Molonglo Valley and other new areas of the ACT passed the Legislative Assembly this afternoon, despite concerns from the Canberra Liberals that services that clubs could provide would be limited without gaming revenue.
Dr Paterson’s bill amends the Gaming Machine Act 2004 to ban the issuing of authorisation certificates for class C gaming machine licenses (poker machines) in the Molonglo Valley and all undeveloped areas of the ACT.
“New suburbs and districts of the ACT will never see poker machines,” Dr Paterson said. “This is a significant step to reducing gambling harm, but also firmly establishes the discussion and thinking about what a club looks like without poker machines.”
Dr Paterson is former director of the Australian National University’s Centre for Gambling Research.
Canberra Liberals MLA Mark Parton, Shadow Minister for Gaming and Community Clubs, however, said that clubs without poker machines in Western Australia were rudimentary: brick buildings with plastic tables and chairs, dining rooms only open once a week, and darts and pool as the only entertainment options.
Other Liberal MLAs thought that without gaming revenue, clubs would not set up in these suburbs, and residents would miss out on funding for community sports.
Dr Paterson, however, said: “Clubs can still establish in Molonglo and undeveloped areas, just not with poker machines. Clubs establishing in Molonglo Valley will have the opportunity to showcase ‘clubs of the future’ and provide a model for the country in what a modern day club looks like.
“I think this is a very powerful step in the shaping of Molonglo Valley, a real statement in terms of residents wanting challenge the status quo and put the health of their community first. Key to that is the creation of a vibrant social community, and clubs most definitely have a place – just without poker machines.”
Dr Paterson launched her ‘Keep Molonglo Pokie-Free’ campaign on 2 May 2023, and introduced the bill on 31 August. An Inquiry into the Bill concluded in November.
ACT Government data, she remarked, shows loses from gambling in the ACT amounted to $185.8 million in 2022, an increase of 9.4 per cent on pre-pandemic figures.
Likewise, Victorian research, published in 2020, demonstrated that those living with 250 metres of a gambling venue were 6 per cent more likely to gamble than those living more than two kilometres from a gambling venue. Proximity to gambling venues also increased gambling-related harms such as mental health struggles and financial hardship.
“The less access you have to poker machines or gambling, the less likely you are to participate in the first place and ultimately, to experience harm,” Dr Paterson said.
Problem gamblers, however, the Canberra Liberals pointed out, would simply travel to the nearest venue with poker machines; during the ACT lockdown, they noted, many of the cars in Queanbeyan club carparks had ACT number plates.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform and the ACT Council of Social Services (ACTCOSS) support Dr Paterson’s bill.
Carol Bennett, CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, said her legislation proposes “a valid solution to a growing problem that is causing significant harm in the Canberra community”. The Alliance believes it should be implemented in other states and territories.
Dr Devin Bowles, CEO of ACTCOSS, said: “By preventing the proliferation of gambling venues in these areas, the Government can prevent vulnerable individuals and families from experiencing gambling harm, while promoting community cohesion and ensuring that the harms caused by EGMs are not further reproduced in new Canberra communities. This may also assist in reducing the burden of addressing gambling harms on mental health and other community services.”
