Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens' Gambling spokesperson
The Joint Select Committee on Future Gaming Markets begins tomorrow, with an overwhelming number of submissions wanting pokies out of pubs and clubs.
The evidence reflects the view of many Tasmanians who are concerned about the proliferation of poker machines in suburbs, particularly in low SES communities.
Pokies leech over $200M a year from Tasmanians, often from disadvantaged areas who can afford it the least. They devastate families and destroy lives.
The committee will hear evidence from industry figures, as well as the community sector, who are working on the frontline.
Community sector submissions highlight the social cost, along with detail of the alarming amount of money lost. Unfortunately, the majority of Committee members decided against hearing personal stories, so won't be able to put faces to the $200M lost every year in Tasmania.
The hearings are the only opportunity the community have had to raise their concerns about the harm pokies cause. The overwhelming number of submissions to the Parliamentary Inquiry demonstrate that most Tasmanians want pokies out of pubs and clubs.
We hope the Committee makes recommendations that will benefit the wider community and demands the removal of these harmful machines from the suburbs, where they do the most harm.