Tuesday, 28 November 2023

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee

Gambling and Liquor Regulation in Victoria: A Follow up of Three Auditor-General Reports

Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:18): Pursuant to section 35 of the Parliamentary Committees Act 2003, I table a report, Gambling and Liquor Regulation in Victoria: A Follow up of Three Auditor-General Reports, including appendices, extracts of proceedings and a minority report, from the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, and I present the transcripts of evidence. I move:

That the transcripts of evidence be tabled and the report be published.

Motion agreed to.

Nick McGOWAN: I move:

That the Council take note of the report.

It is a timely report in many senses. I had the good fortune last week of meeting with my colleague in the other place Nicole Werner. I know that when I speak of the Box Hill RSL my other colleague in this place Dr Bach also has a very long and treasured relationship with that particular RSL. Many of us in this chamber, I am sure, enjoy those relationships. It is timely because we met to discuss a number of things that affect that particular RSL. The gambling and liquor reform space is critical to the way they function. I received a letter from the president of that RSL John Haward and also from the new incoming general manager Ben Myers. I think it is important for the record that I state some of that letter and share it with the chamber, particularly given that at the moment we have got a minister opposite and some members of the Labor caucus but also other members of the chamber here from the Liberal side, the Nationals side and the crossbenches, because these are very real concerns voiced in this space by a number of RSLs. They say in this letter:

… we are of the view that the “Goal Posts’” have been shifted considerably. This, only 12 months into a new licensing agreement with the Victorian State Government. The Box Hill RSL re-signed for an additional 20 years in August of 2022 with the understanding that the government’s model for operating strong and socially responsible gaming in a club environment was supported and valued by the government. We have great difficulty understanding why the government would introduce such drastic regulatory reform so early into a new contract period without any prior industry consultation.

Box Hill RSL’s core purpose is to support our veteran community and their dependents. On top of that, we have a strong focus of support to local community and sporting groups. We are also a major local employer of over 90 personnel. The club spends many hundreds of thousands of dollars annually supporting our local economy.

As articulated during our meeting –

that is, the RSL and Nicole Werner from Warrandyte in the other place –

the Box Hill RSL is unreservedly committed to providing a safe and responsible gaming offer to our members and guests at all times. We are industry leading when it comes to minimizing gambling related harm and all of our staff are trained and skilled in this area. Our board and management likewise are trained … and are fully compliant.

With the recent announcements, our club believes that the impact of the proposed harm minimization reforms will severely impact our ability to fulfill the growing needs of our veteran community … The Box Hill RSL also believes that a more thorough and consultative investigation into the costs to venue operators regarding the proposed reforms is required. We need a system that is “fit for purpose” and with minimal, if any downtime at all. We would also like to express very clearly that any drop in revenue as a result of these reforms should allow for a reassessment of the gaming machine entitlements.

This is not me saying these things, this is a local community group called the RSL in Box Hill. They are very reasonably asking for this government to do the most basic thing it can in the space of gambling and liquor reform, and that is: before you introduce changes in the state, would you just consult with those who they are going to impact on every level?

Sadly, what we saw even when we commenced this inquiry was a government who announced a swathe of changes, as the RSL rightly pointed out – a swathe of changes. We can argue whether they are right or wrong, whether they will help or hinder, but the reality is they did so with absolutely no consultation whatsoever – it was almost as if to have had contempt for the inquiry we were about to undertake. They had already announced what they were going to do.

Like my colleague here Ms Lovell, I have serious concerns that this report will ever be taken seriously or the work will ever amount to anything. Yet again I ask myself as a new member of this chamber, a new member of this Parliament: are we just wasting our time? Is this just a make-work program to have us all work very hard on committees and reports – as Ms Lovell has said, dating back to 2001, 2002 and so forth – which are just simply ignored by this government, which is contemptuous of the views of the Victorian people and of the community groups that are taking their time to give representations? It is a disgrace. Those opposite should be embarrassed that time and again these reports sit without a response at all, much less a substantive response. It is an unacceptable position, not only in this space but, as we have heard previously, in the space of housing affordability. It has been allowed to perpetuate and go on and on as though it was some game. I am sick and tired of the game, the people of Victoria I think are sick and tired of the game – but here we are playing it nonetheless. That said, I will leave it with this chamber to consider the views of the RSL in Box Hill and the good work they continue to do on behalf of our veterans locally and right across the region in my area.

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:24): As a member of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee I also rise to speak on what is an excellent report – that is, the report on gambling and liquor regulation in Victoria. In the short time I have been in this chamber so far I have had the privilege of being on six different committee inquiries, the second report of which has been tabled today. This has been one of the most illuminating inquiries to be part of, for me. I want to take a moment to thank the many witnesses who appeared before us, including many from my community – including the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association – who gave some very, very powerful and compelling evidence, all of which has formed part of this report. We also held an innovative youth round table, where we got to hear firsthand from younger Victorians about their experiences with gambling and some incredibly moving stories as well. I am very happy that some of those young people are joining us in the Parliament today for the tabling of this report.

This is an important report. It was also a valuable opportunity for us to do a real-time analysis of those changes that were made and announced by government that Mr McGowan referred to, and it was very interesting to see an overwhelmingly positive response. Now, I was a member of the committee who was fortunate to be able to attend all of the hearings. I know not every committee member did, but I am sure if they had done, those other committee members might agree with me that the weight of the evidence supporting these reforms goes to show how critical they are. The steps that are taken in this report really do outline that. They also lay the groundwork for future reform in spaces from electronic gambling machines through to loot boxes and online gaming, which obviously overlaps with federal jurisdiction. In closing, I would like to particularly thank Caroline Williams and the entire secretariat for their very hard work on this report.

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:26): While I thank the secretariat for their hard work, as Ms Lovell and Mr McGowan said, most of these reports end up going nowhere. Anyway, I opposed this report, and I did so because I felt it was government overreach on steroids. If the ALP hate gambling to the extent that they generated in this inquiry, then they should do it by the front door and bring some legislation in to ban it instead of using an inquiry and going by the back door to admit they want legal gambling effectively banned, because that is what they are doing by the recommendations that are contained in this report, but good luck with controlling illegal gambling if you go down that path.

Of course this government would never want to ban gambling, because of the billions that it generates for their very depleted coffers. They need every dollar going around at the moment, so they are never going to ban it. But they want to restrict, as Mr McGowan said, organisations like the RSL, which are trying to help veterans and get on with the job of doing what they are legally entitled to do. If a product is legal, consumers are entitled to purchase it. Governments and politicians cannot be forever responsible for the irresponsible behaviour of every individual, let alone determine that our overburdened health sector should pick up the cost of the habits of gamblers who cannot control their habit. In the end, we cannot save people from themselves. This report is an overreach, and that is why I opposed it.

Motion agreed to.