Ms BURNET (Clark) – Honourable Speaker, I thank the member, Ms Johnston, for bringing this as an MPI for discussion, and for her advocacy and for the advocacy of the Greens for many years, for Meg Webb, for Mr Ferguson.
Why these people advocated so hard for reigning in pokies is because they cause significant addiction. They cause significant harm and that is proven. It’s evidence based, and that harm has to fight the powers of the money and the money provided to parties through donations. The political donation system that allows governments and parties to be bought is appalling and needs to be reined in itself.
Today is R U OK? Day; we’re all wearing the badges. I know many people who have been impacted by the harm poker machines inflict on individuals, families and communities. I disagree with Mr Di Falco; addiction is not a choice. We see significant harm to individuals, communities and families. People lose their lives in relation to this. They lose their assets. Businesses suffer as well.
It’s not just about pubs and clubs. We shouldn’t have pokies in pubs and clubs at all. The Greens have been very strong on this. Businesses suffer because of increased crime and lack of money. I know Ms Johnston has spoken a number of times about kids in cars who need to be fed whilst their parents are playing pokies. This is an appalling situation for our state. It is a scourge on our state.
I was so disappointed in October 2024 when the Premier announced that the government was going to walk away from the mandatory precommitment card. I’m pretty sure Mr Ferguson was upset about that as well, as were many in this House and in the community, including advocates who have been working hard to protect people.
Addiction is not a choice and we can do so much better. We could have had nation-leading technology and we’ve walked away from that. I still have hope that we will see the benefits of this to our communities. The north-west coast in Mr Garland’s area really suffers, as does the ‘Golden Mile’, as Mr Bayley has said. These are vulnerable communities who cannot afford the harm of pokies in their communities. We as a parliament should be working towards reducing that harm.
