Category Archives: Opinion Pieces
No pre-commitment to the truth in pro-pokie campaign
Charles Livingstone, The Drum The Australian Greens’ $1 maximum bet policy for poker machines has certainly set the hares running. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald last week, Phillip Coorey ran the Clubs NSW line that $1 maximum bets will … Continue reading
Pokie palaces are sucking the life out of communities
Malcolm Farr, The Punch Now our Melbourne Cup flutters are out of the way it is worth investigating how it became valid political logic that the healthy fabric of Australian life would be shredded without big-scale gambling. Not on horses, … Continue reading
Clubs use tricky numbers to outfox pokies reform
Tim Costello, The Australian In their desperate attempt to try to ward off consumer protection measures for poker machine gamblers, Clubs Australia has exaggerated the costs of implementing a system that will allow gamblers to set themselves enforceable limits. At … Continue reading
Abbott turns his back on problem gamblers
Tim Costello, the Drum John Howard admitted in 1999 that he was ashamed of pokies. This week Tony Abbott ignored his mentor’s view and more than a decade of research into the reforms needed to address problem gambling. Mr Abbott … Continue reading
Poker Machine Reforms will Empower Problem Gamblers
Tim Costello, UnitingForChange Poker machines are in the limelight. Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s minority government is in place courtesy of Tasmanian Independent Andrew Wilkie, a bloke with a passion for making poker machine gambling safer. In return for his support, … Continue reading
Harm, problem gambling and the pro-pokie lobby
Charles Livingstone, ABC The Drum The pro-pokies lobby headed by Clubs NSW has so far argued that the Gillard Government’s proposed poker machine harm minimisation reforms, notably pre-commitment (i.e., allowing people to decide in advance how much they wish to … Continue reading
The game’s up – pokies reform not so taxing for footy
Tim Costello, Sydney Morning Herald Opinion I know Eddie McGuire and I like him. He has fine social justice instincts. But Eddie – as well as all AFL presidents – needs to answer these questions since he is opposed to … Continue reading
Don’t call this news
Tom Cummings, ABC The Drum Opinion Last week’s media proclamation from Clubs Australia about the “failure” of pre-commitment raises some serious questions about accountability and the standard of journalism in some parts of the media. On Wednesday (September 14) the … Continue reading
Politics of self-interest
Ross Gittins, Sydney Morning Herald Ross Gittins’ latest opinion piece ends with this observation: …But for unbridled selfishness there could surely be no more egregious example than the success the licensed clubs have had in stirring their members’ opposition to … Continue reading
What the gambling industry won’t tell you
Tom Cummings, ABC’s The Drum Julia Gillard’s tenure as Prime Minister has been brief and certainly turbulent. The mining tax, a price on carbon, health reforms, our clean energy future, the Malaysia solution… there’s always something going on. But there’s … Continue reading
