NSW Labor votes for historic pokies reforms
Updated ,first published
The state’s gaming minister backed a crackdown on poker machines; This is the strongest indication that the state government will act on the concerns of Labor members.
Senior Labor figures made stunning assessments at Sunday’s NSW Labor conference that NSW politics was “looking the other way” and bowing to pressure from powerful lobby groups to maintain the status quo on poker machines.
The proposal, introduced by Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne and Unions NSW’s Mark Morey, places a moratorium on new machine licences, imposes a new tax on clubs generating more than $20 million in gaming revenues and promises to halve the number of machines that can be traded between venues within 10 years.
“(For too long) the suffering caused by gaming machines has been allowed to fester and spread,” Byrne said.
“For too long, the private interests of the poker machine lobby have trumped the public interest in preventing addiction and harm, but for our party today at this conference, this was a disaster that could no longer be ignored as the scale of the crisis became obscene.”
Gambling minister David Harris told the conference the motion was a road map that reflected the best of the Labor movement, its strongest support for tough measures and the clearest indication the government would implement the policy.
The state government is not obligated to enact policies adopted at state conferences but will face a massive backlash from unions and members if the measures are ignored.
“[The motion] “It’s about lasting structural reform,” Harris said. “It puts harm minimization at the heart of our gaming system, expanding support for those harmed by gambling, strengthening prevention and ensuring accountability is built into the system, not the responsibility of those who fail.”
The policy will also scrap perks such as free food for punters and make facial recognition technology mandatory in all gaming rooms.
The motion was accepted unanimously.
The government will work to engage stakeholders from now until the March state elections. The government has also yet to respond to the findings of an investigation. Independent report on gambling reform.
The Rev. Stu Cameron of Wesley Mission, who opposes facial recognition technology but has long campaigned for slot machine reform, welcomed the changes to the motion but said they did not go far enough. Wesley Mission wanted a mandatory shutdown of poker machines between midnight and 10 a.m. and a card gaming system with betting limits.
“The debate about what works is settled. The evidence is clear. The question now is whether the Minns government has the courage to act on this issue,” he said.
While Labor Party members presented a united front on slot machine reforms, members of the Left and Right groups clashed over the government’s controversial protest reforms.
Angus McFarland of the Australian Services Union of NSW and ACT moved to bring forward a debate on protest laws, telling Labor’s base that scenes of pro-Palestinian protests at City Hall in February were proof that government crackdown was not working.
“Whatever your views on the issues being protested, I don’t think anyone can look at these scenes and conclude that this reflects the kind of social harmony we should aspire to,” he said.
Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison, of the Right faction, dismissed the attempt to advance the debate as a “disgrace” and accused members of the Left of trying to silence the fuss by prioritizing protest issues over Labor issues.
The move ultimately failed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received a hero’s welcome from everyone except a handful of pro-Palestinian members who raised flags in protest during his speech. A woman draped in a Palestinian flag walked through the conference hall but remained silent and Albanese was not interrupted.
He used his speech to respond to “not very coherent” reactions to his government’s tax reforms, labeling the Coalition and One Nation as an “axis of grievance”.
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Jessica McSweeney is a reporter covering state politics and city affairs for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
