Webb’s pokie law marathon: Record seven-hour speech

David Killick | Mercury | 12 November 2021  

TASMANIA’S Upper House members last night sat through what was labelled the Legislative Councils’ longest ever speech as debate surrounding gambling legislation dragged into the late hours of the evening.

MLCs heard major parties were doing the bidding of the pokies barons because of a “gut-wrenching fear” of their financial clout and ability to influence the outcome of elections, during a marathon seven-hour speech by Independent Meg Webb.

The Upper House is considering the state government’s legislation to reform laws governing gambling in Tasmania.

Ms Webb said the inclusion of two harm minimisation measures in the legislation before the house was a sign both parties were beholden to the industry.

“The two parties have arrived at the two measures that they, I would say and suggest, that they are bound to by the relationships that they have with this industry — through political donations, through memorandums of understanding and through gutwrenching fear that they both have should this industry decided to turn against them at a future election.

“They learned their lesson well in 2018, both of them.

“In fact, I’d suggest it’s not so much the benefit of financial support that sits at the heart of these two parties beholden to an industry.

“I’d suggest it’s the gut-wrenching fear that the financial weight of the industry will be thrown against them, again.”

Debate on the legislation last night was continuing.

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