Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens' Gambling spokesperson
In response to a Family Voice 2014 election survey*, Madeleine Ogilvie told voters she would support legislation to remove pokies from pubs and clubs. Since then, Tasmanians have heard nothing more from Ms Ogilvie.
Ms Ogilvie has been silent about poker machines, and the serious harm they cause, for three and a half years. It’s hard to escape the conclusion her comments at the LGAT Conference were pre-election posturing.
Pokies leech $200 million a year from Tasmanians, from disadvantaged areas which can afford it the least. They devastate families and destroy lives.
The harmful effects of poker machines are felt deeply in Ms Ogilvie’s seat of Denison. Glenorchy loses over $20 million a year to the 270 machines saturating that community.
At their recent State Conference, no Labor MP raised the serious policy issue of poker machine proliferation, the harm they cause or Federal Hotels’ monopoly deed.
The future of Federal Hotels' exclusive monopoly license will be a key issue at the upcoming State election. No political party has a mandate to vote to extend the Deed in this term of government.
Neither Labor nor the Liberals have come clean with Tasmanians about their policy on Federal Hotels’ monopoly deed. Nor have they said whether they will take donations from the pokies giant in the lead up to the election.
All political parties owe it to the Tasmanians who have been harmed by the monopoly deed, their families and the wider community to categorically state they will not accept donations from Federal Hotels.
Labor and the Liberals must make their position on the Federal Hotels’ monopoly deed clear, and seek a mandate at the upcoming State election.