2022-11-23
The Greens have today slammed revelations that Labor and the Liberals have issued “letters of comfort” to pokies profiteers ensuring they won’t be required to set maximum losses, show ID or set time limits on pokies usage in the next parliament, as the Finkelstien royal commission recommended.
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC:
“The almost $1m in donations from the Australian Hotels Association to both parties before 2018 is clearly still paying dividends.
“Pokies have a devastating social toll: they weaponise addiction to burn through people’s savings, which we know often leads to family breakdown and housing insecurity.
“For Labor and the Liberals to fail to require even the most baseline protections for families like setting maximum losses, limiting playing time or even showing ID shows the vice grip hold the gambling lobby has over our parliament.
“I would love to hear how Richmond Liberal candidate Lucas Moon explains these “letters of comfort” his own party wrote to pokies profiteers when he’s out calling himself the anti-gambling candidate.”