Not one more

By Kelly Yates and Bridget Brady
CASEY Council has drawn a line in the sand over pokies, vowing that the municipality will get not one extra machine.
The City of Casey’s position on the issue is for “zero growth” in the municipality, says Springfield Ward councillor Sam Aziz.
Councillors unanimously voted on Tuesday night to have Casey’s draft version of the Electronic Gaming Machine Strategy 2010-2015 put on public exhibition for four weeks.
Cr Aziz, who moved the reforms, said the council would also not support gaming applications where child-minding facilities were within, or adjacent to, gaming venues.
He believes the council needs to be clear about protecting children from exposure to gambling, saying the council needs to prevent the spread of these “money-extorting monsters” in the Casey community.
“I find it both ethically and morally abhorrent that gaming venue operators would seek to facilitate child-minding services inside a gaming venue so that the parents can gamble away school, bread and milk money,” he said.
“What kind of society have we become when we allow this to happen?”
Casey’s acting planning manager Michael Pollard stated in his report to the council that since gaming was introduced to Casey, the issue of electronic gaming machines had stimulated much debate within the council and the wider community.
“This debate has highlighted the need for a robust review to take place, to explore unique and efficient methods in reducing gaming related harm. This review resulted in a new City of Casey Electronic Gaming Machine Strategy.”
Mayfield Ward councillor Kevin Bradford said he heard a sad story when he was at a breakfast meeting recently.
He said about eight people rushed in to get their “favourite poker machine” as the sirens went off at 9am to signify the opening of the gaming area.
A staff member told him one person visited the gaming machines after dropping their kids off to school, picked them up from school and then took them to day care and returned to the poker machines, staying there until about 11pm.
Cr Aziz said that the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission released a “significant” report into gambling in Australia last month, which investigated an array of gaming-like activities including electronic gaming machines.
“There were a number of very concerning aspects in their report like the total recorded expenditure, losses, in Australia reaching just over $19 billion in 2008/09, or an average of $1500 per adult who gambled,” Cr Aziz said.
“The number of Australians categorised as “problem gamblers” has now reached 115,000, with the number of people categorised as at “moderate risk” ranging around 280,000.
“These are alarming findings and the City of Casey has a moral responsibility to protect its residents from the harm of gaming machines.”
The draft version of the Electronic Gaming Machine Strategy 2010-2015 can be viewed online on the council’s website.
After the exhibition period and consideration of any final feedback, council officers will report the final strategy to the council for adoption.