The federal government has recently announced its plans to undo the pokie reform legislation that was passed last year. Several responsible gambling groups have spoken out against this plan, and the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce has joined the cause. This week, the taskforce wrote to all federal MPs, asking them to reconsider their plan to repeal the pokie reform legislation.
The legislation would have tested pre-commitment technology, required games to display warning messages and introduced cash machine withdrawal limits in pokie clubs. Now, that the reform is being repealed, the group argues that members of the local community will fall victim to the potential dangers of problem gambling.
"It sends a clear signal to both the electronic gaming machine industry and State Governments that the Federal Government has no interest in providing meaningful protections for gamblers," reads a statement from the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce. Several other social service groups have expressed their concerns about the potential repeal of the pokie reform law.
The Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce and many other organizations have made submissions that urge the federal government not to repeal the law. It was years from the time that MP Andrew Wilkie introduced the poker machine reform bill to when it actually passed. The reforms were watered down significantly, but they still represented a step in the right direction for protecting problem gamblers and other vulnerable individuals.
Now, all of that hard work could be undone if the federal government goes through with the repeal. This debate will be ongoing, and it is likely to heat up in the near future. It is likely that more groups will speak out against the repeal while others will defend the decision. We will keep you updated as the situation develops.
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