[Senate Election 2010 - A message for Queensland voters in particular]
Poker machines (Electronic Gaming Machines, EGMs) have an addictive appeal to some people. If they're single it hurts only them. If they have dependents their kids grow up in poverty, with the added drama of watching their parents fighting all the time. Governments and the major parties are addicted to them too:
the States (except WA) rely on them for 9% to 12.5% of their tax revenue - see Table 1 in this article
The Canberra Labor Club operates 4 gambling venues in the ACT and gave more than $1m to the ALP over 2 years (source - the Mayne Report. 9 August
A Liberal Party Senator is part-owner of a pub in which punters lost more than $12 million last financial year (Mayne Report, 27 July)
Hotel and club interests give generously to all major parties - the Australian Labor Party (ALP), the Liberal Party and the National Party (now combined into the Liberal National Party, or LNP, in Queensland) - see this example from the AEC donor returns.
What can we do about them?
We can't blow them up, though it would be satisfying - see Tim Freedman on Insight telling the story of Andy Lewis's suicide and explaining why he wants to Blow Up The Pokies (link is to a lyrics site)
It's probably too late to eliminate them altogether - though if society as a whole yelled Nick Xenophon's slogan "No Pokies" loudly enough maybe we could (here's Nick's site)
But governments certainly could impose stricter limits on them - limits on the numbers allowed per State and limits on the "feed rate" - see Ch 11 of the Productivity Commission's report on Gambling - very dry and restrained stuff (they're economists).
To give Nick Xenophon some allies in the Senate, to keep up the pressure on all governments to at least adopt the Productivity Commission's recommendations, and progressively do more to reduce governments' dependence on gambling taxes -
vote [1] for Group F (John Pyke and Chris Tooley) on the Queensland Senate ballot paper
How to vote for us
We are campaigning as the Limit the Pokies Group but we are not a registered political party - just two candidates with an anti-pokie policy who've asked to be grouped on the ballot paper - so our group name will not be on the ballot paper. Just look along the tops of the columns for the letter F and either
vote above the line, with a "1" in the "F" box and no other numbers, like this image shows, or
vote below the line by starting like this image and then filling in all the rest of the squares with numbers from 3 to 60 - and then double-check it before dropping it in the ballot-box!
Some Questions
Is this an issue in this election?
Well, there are many other issues, but this is a big one if you're a problem gambler or the family or friends of a problem gambler. Just this June the Productivity Commission made some sensible recommendations in its Report into Gambling (above) - but the States may not do anything without pressure from the Commonwealth. So doing something to force the implementation of the Report is very much an immediate issue.
Is this really a federal issue at all?
Not directly - it's the States who get so much income from licensing pokies that they don't do anything effective to save addicts from them. But the Commonwealth controls the money, and can use it to put irresistible pressure on the States. Senator Xenophon is already putting on the pressure - give him some allies in the Senate by voting for us.
Recent Press Release
In mid-campaign Tabcorp showed how much they take government acceptance of pokies for granted by announcing an expansion plan for Queensland hotels, but only if the government meets their demand for 1000 more licences for South-east Queensland. (What's the word for that? Negotiation? Blackmail?) See our Press Release in response to this greedy demand.
How to help us
1. Link to this page or email, tweet, etc, the link to everyone.
2. Copy and distribute the flyer
3. Send donations to John Pyke, Box 15869, City East PO, Brisbane 4002. Donations up to $1500 may be tax deductible (see the ATO's page on this), but if you give us more than $11,500 (we wish!) you'll have to declare it on a public register (see the AEC's page on that). All donations will be spent on advertising, and if you provide an address a receipt will be sent to you.
Thanks everyone
John and Chris
Authorised by John Pyke, 30 Kate St, Shorncliffe Qld 4017
