NSW Labor leader not budging on proposed gambling reforms

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns revealed on Monday that he would not change his gambling reform package in order to further negotiations with crossbenchers ahead of the March 25 election.

Minns claimed that Labor had a comprehensive enough plan and the party intended to go ahead with it. This comes amid warnings that a more strict policy could prove to be non-negotiable if Labor ended up with a minority government.

According to the Greens and teal independents, transitioning to cashless gaming on poker machines would be a critical factor in earning the party a vote in a minority government. The assertion was also backed by key independents like Greg Piper and Alex Greenwich.

Speaking on Monday, Daniel Mookhey, Labor’s treasury spokesman, stated that the party had no intention of negotiating deals with crossbenchers for the purpose of forming a government.

“We’re campaigning every day for a majority Labor government, and we’re asking the people of NSW to give us a majority, so we can begin the hard work … as well as implementing Labor’s policy on gambling,” Mookhey asserted.

Premier Dominic Perrottet proposed statewide cashless gaming months earlier, making the reforms a significant part of his campaign. Since unveiling his plans, Perrottet has faced considerable opposition from lobby groups like ClubsNSW.

READ: ClubNSW’s comments on cashless gaming card reform ‘absurd’

Victor Dominello, outgoing Customer Service Minister, recently likened the lobby group to the National Rifle Association in America and requested a probe. He claimed it was needed to ensure that MPs were not forced to make certain moves at the behest of the industry.

Speaking on Monday, Perrottet promised to consult relevant parties to decide on the relevance of a probe into ClubsNSW. However, the Premier disclosed that he was yet to experience firsthand or witness any situation where ClubsNSW wielded improper influence over the government.

“People will have opinions on public policy all the time and I respect that. But if I disagree with them, I’ll tell them so,” Perrottet explained.

“Clearly, ClubsNSW disagrees with me in relation to pokies reform, but I’m not here for ClubsNSW; I’m here to look after the people of our state.

“Clubs came to me with their view about cashless gaming and I said, ‘we’re doing it, and we’re doing it because it’s right’.”

Labor leader Minns also disclosed earlier that he had not seen or experienced any inappropriate wielding of influence over MPs by ClubsNSW.

In a recent response to the comments, ClubsNSW revealed that it looked forward to working together with whatever group comes to power after the March 25 election “on sensible, evidence-based reform measures”.

Labor also has mapped-out gambling reforms to be implemented upon election. Per the proposed changes, clubs that operate pokies would not be allowed to make donations to political parties. Also, many poker machines would be removed from the gambling market, and more venues would have assigned responsible gaming officers.

The party also intends to conduct a 500-machine trial before embarking on a cashless gambling initiative. According to Labor, the technology needed more evidence before implementation.

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