Perrottet’s pokies reform is a game-changer that will save lives

Premier Dominic Perrottet has finallyannounced details of his long-awaited gaming reforms,promising that all NSW poker machines will be cashless by the end of 2028.

This represents the biggest reform to gaming since poker machines were legalised in 1956 and will save lives and livelihoods. As the premier said while announcing his plan on Monday,the devastation problem gambling creates for families is intolerable and must be confronted.

Reforms to make all poker machines across NSW will be cashless within five years.

TheHerald believes all NSW residents have a moral responsibility to support reform in this area. The pain and suffering caused by poker machines must end. So,too,must the blatant criminality behind the funnelling of billions of dollars of dirty money into the machines each year.

As this masthead revealed on Sunday night,Perrottet’s plan,unanimously endorsed by the Liberal and Nationals cabinet,includes no-interest loans for small and medium venues to buy new machines with cashless technology. One-off $50,000 grants will also be available to help pubs and clubs fund new income streams such as live music and food to reduce their reliance on gambling revenue.

Some $340 million will be spent on the support programs,as well as poker machine buybacks and other initiatives to help the industry make the transition by 2028.

After handing down five budgets as treasurer and counting the billions of dollars in tax revenue that have flowed from gambling,Perrottet says his conscience was seared when he realised just how much the state was profiting from other people’s misery.

Some gambling reform advocates have criticised the transition period,starting in January 2024 and ending in December 2028,as too long,and a clear attempt to deprive the powerful pubs and clubs industry of a scare campaign based on the argument the government is pushing change too hard,too fast. TheHerald agrees that the switch to cashless gaming should happen much sooner - preferably by the end of the next parliamentary term in 2027.

TheHerald is also concerned about a proposed legislative clause that will allow certain pubs and clubs,such as those in regional areas,to extend the December 2028 deadline should several experts agree their viability is at risk. This clause must not be deployed by clubs as an excuse to sit on their hands.

Gambling reform advocate Tim Costello says the government’s assistance package for pubs and clubs was necessary to stop them squealing and that while Perrottet’s plan is not perfect,it was “pretty damn good” and the biggest social reform he had seen in 25 years of campaigning. Costellohas also urged NSW Labor leader Chris Minns to expand his promised cashless gaming trial for 500 poker machines and called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to pursue national reform.

Had theGillard government not reneged on its deal with federal independent MP Andrew Wilkie to introduce mandatory pre-commitment rules in 2012,NSW would be years ahead in the reform process.

The devastation that problem gambling has wrought is one of the worst things to occur in our state’s history.

Perrottet has assured clubs he will walk alongside them to help prevent them from closing and shedding jobs. He told reporters on Monday that “reform to get it right takes time” and that pubs and clubs are the lifeblood of many communities. He still wants them to thrive and argues Labor’s plan to introduce a mechanism to exclude people suspected of dealing with the proceeds of crime from venues with poker machines will take decades to bear any fruit.

It is a shame Labor can’t swallow its pride and accept its poker machine policy is too weak. Had Labor supported Perrottet’s plan it would have neutralised any industry campaign to sink crucial reform. As it stands,the lack of bipartisan support potentially fuels the industry’s enthusiasm for pushing back against the crippling changes.

Apart from the lengthy transition period and a few minor details,theHerald fully supports the government package as a credible plan to tackle problem gambling and the human tragedy it unleashes on families and individuals. Perrottet has proposed a superior policy plan but also demonstrated gutsy leadership at a crucial time in the electoral cycle.

As Perrottet has said,the devastation that problem gambling has wrought is one of the worst things to occur in our state’s history. The time for trials is over. The time for action is now.

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Since the Herald was first published in 1831,the editorial team has believed it important to express a considered view on the issues of the day for readers,always putting the public interest first.

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