Greens Spokesperson for Gambling Harm Rebecca Vassarotti has
moved an amendment to a government regulation which, if passed, will reduce gaming machine hours in Canberra by an extra six hours per week.
The amendment has been moved against a disallowable instrument that the
government must pass through the ACT Legislative Assembly to enact its
watered-down machine hours commitment announced last month.
"At a time when people across this country are losing faith in the power of
government to improve their lives, leadership that treats its own promises as disposable reveals a profoundly damaging contempt for the voting public.
"This government seems to be on a pathological quest for mediocrity: always having an excuse to stand still, always a reason to delay, but never having a reason to give a good idea a fair go.
"The fact is two years ago, the Chief Minister posted on his official page and
gave his word: a proper overnight ban on poker machines from two-o'clock to ten-o'clock in the morning, and that's exactly what we expect.
"The other week I asked the government whether gambling lobbyists had
forced their hand, and their answer was no. Which begs the question: if no one asked you to dilute these life-saving laws, why tear them down yourselves?
"Is the takeaway here simply that we shouldn't trust a word the Chief Minister says? Because Labor's comfort with bending their own commitments is leaving Canberrans feeling increasingly dissatisfied by their government.
"The time to act is now, because nothing good happens at three-o'clock in the morning, whether it be at a pub, a parliament, a gaming machine, or otherwise.
"That's why today I will be moving a simple amendment to restore the original regulation the government committed to, regulating to shut off poker machines between the hours of two-o'clock to ten-o'clock in the morning.
"Better yet, if the government wants to get on board, they don't even have to
fight for it, they just have to not stand in the way. They can do nothing, let the amendment pass, and finally give Canberrans the protection they deserve.
"I refuse to sit by silently and watch another term slip away, buried under
government excuses while real people suffer real harm. The time for political games is over. The time to act is right now. And the opportunity to act is here."
