Public vote should come first
Mayor Tony Foster of Brighton, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, has called for lawmakers to let the people decide if pokie machines should be permitted in clubs, taverns and hotels.
According to the Courier Mail, Foster has written to all members of the legislative council asking them to hold a public as a joint parliamentary select committee weighs the impact of gaming in Tasmania.
“It is disrespectful for the committee to be considering how the poker machine industry will operate in the future before asking Tasmanians if they actually want electronic gaming in their hotels and clubs,” he said.
He said public opinion must be factored in before matters of taxation and licensing are considered, reported the newspaper. “Brighton Council has long been concerned at the adverse impact of the proliferation of poker machines in our community and particularly their concentration in lower socio-economic areas,” he said.
