By Clyde Mooney
A poll by Textor Crosby has indicated that more than 80 per cent of Australians are against the proposals for mandatory pre-commitment.
The survey of 800 voters offered a choice between the proposed mandatory pre-commitment (MPC) system, an alternative method of reform that was less damaging to the industry, and no change, with only 19.3 per cent of respondents in favour of Independent Member Andrew Wilkie’s scheme.
More than half (55.1 per cent) of respondents are in favour of reform, but acknowledge flaws with the current proposals and believe an alternative, such as voluntary pre-commitment, would be better.
“This polling, in marginal Labor and Independent held seats, shows that Australians are tired of Andrew Wilkie’s posturing and threatening of the Federal Government,” said Clubs Australia executive director, Anthony Ball.
This poll follows developments this week that indicate the Federal Government will not be fulfilling its agreement to pass gambling reform bills in the May budget, as negotiated after a hung election last October in return for the support of the Tasmanian minister’s support.
The development left the Independent minister seeking support from other power brokers in positions of negotiation.
“an alternative method of reform that was less damaging to the industry” – what a crock! Seriously the alcohol industry needs to wake and stop trying to treat the public like children – we know its all about your survival but at the cost of who? Come up with a better plan to transprently provide support to the communities and we will all support it! New Zealand made it work – have “sponsorship” machines returning a percentage to specific charities or a range of alternative initiative but please stop crying poor! How did the pubs survive 20 years ago? Good service and community support. Grow up!!
Well said, Dave Mack. It is time to license poker machine gamblers anyway…We license our weekend fishermen and our drivers…so why not pokies users? Government needs a much higher levy from pokies, that cause so much damage to so many other people beyond just the gambler himself? Only a small fraction of fishermen and drivers misbehave and bring harms to others…yet all fishermen and drivers must pay the same licence fee…so it should be the same deal for pokies users.
Please do not come back with that well-worn line, either, that we are just a nanny state mentality. No we are not…but it is time for taxpayers to NOT carry the costs here…just so a bunch of pokies gamblers can screw themselves and their families into financial oblivion. Get those pokies gamblers to pay a levy like they must in Singapore…where every local casino gambler must also have an ID card, a statement of thier spending…and families can intervene to bar the gambler. Oh…and by the way that ID card has MANY uses…precommit capability, self exclusion, warning information to track spending, so why are we only discussing mandatory or voluntary precommitment anyhow? The gambling industry altered from cards to coins years ago [Tabaret] and there was not a murmur…so stop your nonsense Clubs…and make your clubs safer and stop being so lazy…use volunteers or shut down!