The Premier’s backtracking on pokies’ pre-commitment reforms is writ large in the ‘phases of the review’ Deloitte Economics is undertaking, despite his refusal to release the review’s Terms of Reference. The Premier’s refusal to reveal the TOR, despite being called on to do so by the Legislative Council, shows starkly how he’s prioritising the industry’s interests over vulnerable Tasmanians.
Recent questioning by the Greens in Parliament revealed Premier Rockliff is planning to water down the Liberal’s pre-commitment card promises. Since then the Premier has stood shoulder to shoulder with the Tasmanian Hospitality Association and announced he’d take a “more measured approach” than their previously promised nation-leading reforms.
This Deloitte review is a thinly veiled attempt to justify the Liberals walking away from the mandatory pre-commitment card scheme. The phases of the review indicate a tightly controlled process, which will only find the answers the Liberals and their pokies’ mates want to hear.
The evidence is long-established that poker machines cause the majority of gambling harm in Tasmania, and a single scheme with mandatory pre-commitments is the best way to reduce this harm. The Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission recommended such a scheme include default loss limits, a single card for all venues and a single card per person.
The lives and livelihoods of so many Tasmanians and their families are devastated by poker machines every year, with hundreds of millions of dollars lost by the poorest in our community. The Premier is making an active choice to side with the industry that profits from their misery, instead of protecting the people being harmed.
The Premier should be honest with Tasmanians that he’s choosing to walk away from his government’s promise to introduce mandatory pre-commitment cards. The Greens will continue to fight for the Liberals to put vulnerable Tasmanians ahead of the profit of the pokies’ industry.
