If you’ve been following the news about poker machine reform in Australia, two names you’ve likely heard a lot of are: Jenny Macklin and Andrew Wilkie. Over the course of the past year, these two political figures have spent a great deal of time negotiating the terms of pokie reform. Now that reform legislation has…
Tag Archive: Andrew Wilkie
Pokie Reform Legislation Passes
It has been a long time coming, but poker machine reform has finally passed as legislation. This means that pokie club owners will be required to adhere to regulations set out by the local government with regards to voluntary pre-commitment technology. While MP Andrew Wilkie, who fought the reform from the beginning, is pleased with…
Wilkie Suspects Politicians Are in the Pocket of Pokies
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has spent the past year working hard to pass poker machine reform legislation in Australia. While the bill aims to benefit the local community by reducing problem gambling rates, many politicians have expressed opposition to reform – and Wilkie believes that there is a reason for this. According to the Sydney…
MPs Want Venues To Extend Duty of Care
With problem gambling becoming a growing problem across Australia, local MPs believe that gaming venues should assume more responsibility. After all, they host the games that could potentially attract addicted players. So, MPs have proposed a new bill that would allow venue operators to be easily sued if they fail to fulfil their duty of…
Wilkie Wants Better Self-Exclusion At Pokies Clubs
Self-exclusion programs aim to keep problem gamblers out of casinos and gaming clubs; however, MP Andrew Wilkie feels that Australian self-exclusion programs are not working hard enough to hold up their end of the bargain. After problem gambler from Tasmanian revealed that he had been allowed to gamble $3000 away after signing up to four…
Politicians Want To See Action Taken On Pokie Reform
A trial of voluntary pre-commitment just won’t cut it anymore. After the suicide of problem gambler Julie Smith, local politicians want to see the government make more of an effort to reform Australia’s gambling market. While many players enjoy gaming on a casual basis, there are those that are vulnerable to developing addictions – and…
Was Labour Ever Serious About Pokie Reform?
We all know that the situation surrounding pokie reform consisted of some shady dealings. While MP Andrew Wilkie fought hard to ensure that mandatory pre-commitment would be imposed, it never seemed as though Julia Gillard was very serious about the provision. After negotiations fell through and Wilkie settled for a trial of voluntary pre-commitment, it…
MPs Want to See Pokie Reform Legislation
Over the course of the past few weeks, the federal government was supposed to be drawing up a draft legislation for the new pokie reform trial. However, it seems that very little has been done to move forward, as independent MPs are still waiting to see a draft of the bill. This is just the…
Wilkie Shows Support for Watered-Down Pokie Reforms
MP Andrew Wilkie seemed to have finally had enough. After spending the last year fighting for poker machine reform, the Gillard government has presented a very watered-down version of what Wilkie originally wanted. Rather than imposing $1 betting limits, pokies clubs are now testing voluntary pre-commitment systems. And Wilkie has backed the amendment. It is…
Majority of Australians Support Pokie Reform
A recent poll, the results of which have been published on Yahoo News Australia, show that there is overwhelming support for pokie reform in the country. The news comes just days after MP Andrew Wilkie threatened to withdraw his support for the Gillard government yet again if it did not submit to his demands for…