Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens' Gambling spokesperson
When asked again in Parliament today whether the Liberals will be accepting donations from Federal Hotels in the lead up to the next State election, the Premier ignored the question and attempted to deflect responsibility to his beleaguered State Director, Sam McQuestin.
Pokies baron, Greg Farrell, has said his company will be offering donations to both Labor and the Liberals to help them “articulate” policy.
To accept the proceeds of poker machine addiction, from the purveyors of misery, Federal Hotels, is immoral.
The Greens wrote to both Labor and the Liberals asking them not to take Federal Hotels’ money, but are yet to receive an answer from Rebecca White, or either party’s executive.
Premier Hodgman again tried to use the Liberals’ State Director as a scapegoat. Will Hodgman is the Leader of the Liberal Party, so it’s disingenuous to abdicate his responsibility to Mr McQuestin.
Tasmanians care where political parties get donations from. To pretend otherwise is wrong, and ignores the community’s desire for political transparency.
The silence from Labor and the Liberals on Federal Group donations indicates they are considering taking them once again. If they do, they will be telling the thousands of Tasmanians with poker machine addictions and their families and friends, exactly who they stand with, and for.