Media Release: New Parliamentary Inquiry to Scrutinise Government’s Pokies Policy Development Processes

New Parliamentary Inquiry to Scrutinise Government’s Pokies Policy Development Processes

27 August 2026

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb today welcomed the establishment of a Parliamentary Committee inquiry into the processes underpinning the recent gambling harm minimisation policy backflip by the Rockliff Government in January this year, when it abandoned its promised mandatory pre-commitment card.

“It was a shock to many, including former Minister Michael Ferguson, when the Rockliff Government abandoned its nation-leading and evidence-based mandatory pokies pre-commitment card to instead introduce a range of so-called harm minimisation measures without any apparent supporting evidence,” Ms Webb said.

“Tasmanians deserve to know what that abrupt policy decision was based upon. Was there any credible research or data to underpin it and which stakeholders, if any, were meaningfully consulted?

“The Government’s policy backflip is even more disturbing given its own commissioned Deloitte Access Economics report’s findings indicated the pre-commitment card could generate a net increase of Gross State Product of around $230 million and a net increase of over 200 local jobs.”

Ms Webb said the sudden change in the Government’s pokies harm minimisation policy presents real and direct consequences for the health, well-being and livelihoods of many Tasmanian families.

“It is the role and responsibility of Parliament to scrutinise and test the rigor of how the Government goes about developing public policy, particularly when it lands on a position which appears to fly in the face of available evidence and the public interest.

“This Parliamentary inquiry provides an opportunity to fill in those blanks, by scrutinising any policy work undertaken or data utilized to inform the Rockliff Government’s decision-making processes when formulating its current pokies harm minimisation position, and the likely consequences of that decision for Tasmanians,” Ms Webb said.