Crossbench MPs in NSW are demanding pokies be turned off in clubs, pubs and the Star casino on Anzac Day after the Minns government last week introduced legislation to ban all retail on April 25.
The traditional game of two-up would be spared but NSW’s 90,000 poker machines would be switched off on Anzac Day under an amendment which independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich will move in parliament on Tuesday.
Greenwich said his amendment had the support of crossbenchers – including Wakehurst MP Michael Regan and Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper – as well as The Greens and Animal Justice Party. The government has indicated it will not support the amendment.
Two-up should be the only gambling available on Anzac Day, according to some NSW MPs. Credit: Getty Images
Premier Chris Minns last month announced that his government would extend the trading restrictions on Anzac Day, so retailers could no longer open from 1pm and would instead need to remain closed all day.
The restrictions would not apply to small businesses or those not considered retailers or with exemptions such as markets, cafes, chemists, newsagencies and takeaway restaurants.
“It might be inconvenient for a few hours, but closing our biggest corporate shops for a single day is a small price to pay for living in a free and open democracy,” Minns said when announcing the ban.
Greenwich, who has been a leading advocate for the introduction of a cashless gaming card for poker machines, said if the Minns government was serious about honouring veterans, pokies should be included in the retail ban.
“Anzac Day is a solemn day of commemoration and reflection, I can’t see how poker machines achieve the threshold of essential services that must remain open,” Greenwich said.
“As former premier Perrottet said in his valedictory speech, these are ‘machines of misery, in their factories of despair’, they take billions of hard-earned dollars from NSW families each year, and surely on a day as sacred as Anzac Day, they can give it a rest.
“My amendment won’t impact two-up, which is an enduring and social Anzac Day tradition that must continue, and all it does is treat poker machines [and] gaming rooms like the thousands of other businesses that need to close out of respect for Anzac Day.”
Queensland, which has the second-highest number of pokies in Australia after NSW, does not allow gaming machines on Anzac Day during restricted trading hours, which end at 1pm.
Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron said Anzac Day “is a national day of commemoration and needs to be treated as such”.
“Veterans are over-represented amongst those harmed by gambling, particularly by poker machines,” Cameron said.
“On Anzac Day, pubs and clubs should be places where veterans, their families and friends are able to gather and socialise safely. No veteran should spend Anzac Day sitting by themselves in front of a poker machine designed by behavioural psychologists to addict them.”
Research from the Wesley Mission says, “Australian active military personnel and veterans report higher rates of gambling than in other military jurisdictions, most likely due to the high availability of gambling opportunities in NSW.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.