Greens spokesperson for Gambling and Mental Health the Hon Alison Xamon MLC has put forward amendments to the TAB (Disposal) Bill 2019 that, if adopted, will remove the electronic gambling platform Trackside from the sale of the TAB.
The Bill is scheduled to be debated in the upper house this week after having been passed by the lower house in June, Ms Xamon said.
"Let's be clear - despite what the Government says - Trackside and poker machines are for all intents and purposes the same thing: they are both forms of electronic gambling, and they are programmed to be addictive and to derive maximum profits for the owners.
"Western Australians are justifiably proud of the fact that WA has been the only State not to have pokies except for in the Casino.
"We know that any short term financial gain from including Trackside in the sale will be offset many times over by the social harms it will bring," Ms Xamon cautioned.
"I urge my fellow parliamentarians to heed the warnings of public health experts and the community sector.
"It is outrageous that the Government has proceeded this far in the face of such widespread evidence based opposition. If electronic gambling forms part of the sale of the TAB there will be no going back.
"If Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals and the cross-bench are serious about promoting the well-being of West Australians they should support my amendments when the Bill is debated in Parliament this week," she said.
