Labor’s pokies gamble – Hospitality deal under fire
David Killick| Mercury Newspaper | April 1, 2021
LABOR signed a secret deal with the Tasmanian Hospitality Association in February pledging its support for poker machines, Keno and other forms of gambling to continue in pubs and clubs.
Opponents accused the party of having sold out to the pokies lobby.
Labor was savaged by the big-spending industry in the lead-up to the 2018 election because of its policy of removing poker machines from non-casino venues. The policy was dumped after Labor’s loss.
Opposition leader Rebecca White said “it’s not a secret deal”. She initially refused to detail the contents of the document, then said “it’s not a public document”, before relenting.
The agreement backs the government’s proposed gambling arrangements and promises a regimen of education — rather than enforcement — for employers who don’t abide by award conditions for their workers.
It also promises a portfolio for hospitality under a Labor government, ongoing meetings and an “election package” for the industry.
“We’ve actually struck a number of agreements with industries and other stakeholders over the course of the last few years,” Ms White said.
“And I’m proud of that it actually demonstrates our commitment to listen to consult, and to work on a range of issues.”
Ms White said she did not know if the THA had made donations to her party.
Independent candidate Kristie Johnston labelled the MOU a “dog of a deal”.
“The community deserves to know which deals parties have done with businesses and industry,” she said.
Long-time anti-pokies campaigner, independent MLC Meg Webb, said the deal was an “incredible betrayal” of the community by the Labor Party.
“Labor has joined the Liberal party in prioritising the interest of the pokies industry and their own electoral self-interest while putting the best interests of the Tasmanian community a distant last,” Ms Webb said.
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor described it as a “staggering and shameful capitulation”.
“It tells us that the Tasmanian Hospitality Association
— the gambling industry in Tasmania — controls both the Liberal Party and the Labor Party now,” she said.
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