Mandatory pre-commitment player cards in Tasmania’s poker machine venues should be implemented immediately, an Independent MP says.
Amid concerns that the government may be considering a move away from the nation-leading policy, Kristie Johnston plans to introduce an “urgent motion” in Parliament when it next sits.
The motion will call for the player card system announced by former Deputy Premier and Treasurer Michael Ferguson two years ago to be launched right away.
“I’ve asked the Premier, Labor and The Greens to allow a conscience vote on the matter,” she said.
“I’m seeking a conscience vote because the issue of poker machines in our communities, the vast harms to Tasmanians and the huge profits from that misery, is of grave social, ethical, economic and moral concern to my community in Clark.”
Ferguson, who resigned from his portfolios last month and now sits as an MP for Bass, has vowed to stand his ground against those “profiting from misery”.
He says he won’t accept attempts to weaken the state’s poker machine reforms.
“As Treasurer, I asked for the profit results of licensed venues as a result of the new gaming laws that I introduced from July last year, compared to prior,” he wrote in a Talking Point article.
“In just one month, December 2023, the vast majority of pubs were up by between 40 and 60%.”
“The highest additional retained revenue was an additional $73,000 in one month alone, in just one venue.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has said the government is still “committed” to the card, but must be “very considerate” in its approach.
“We need a measured approach when we roll out such a policy, factoring in cost of rollout, complexity and impact on businesses across Tasmania,” he said on Monday.
Labor leader Dean Winter supports further research into the impact of the card scheme but backs the broader reform agenda, while the Greens want all poker machines removed from the state.
“The pokies industry has controlled Tasmanian politicians for decades. After a brief reprieve, they’re moving to take back full control,” Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said.
“The Liberals are walking away from their promise to protect vulnerable Tasmanians with pokies reforms and Labor have abandoned their previous stance against pokies, but the Greens won’t stop fighting against the impact of these predatory machines.”
The government first pledged to implement the card scheme in 2022 but delayed it by 18 months due to the complexity of the rollout.
