Prominent priest says CBD shouldn't need casino to stack up

A week in Honolulu with no horse racing, gambling or casinos reinforced Stella Maris Catholic Church parish priest Father Joe Duffy's views on a CBD casino.

DIVINE INTERVENTION: Father Joe Duffy of Stella Maris Catholic Church in Maroochydore. Picture: John McCutcheon

A WEEK in Honolulu with no horse racing, gambling or casinos reinforced Stella Maris Catholic Church parish priest Father Joe Duffy's views on a possible CBD casino.

He said if the new 53ha Maroochydore CBD required a casino to make it viable the business case needed to be torn up and rewritten.

"It's (Hawaii) a thoroughly flourishing part of the United States with full hotels and lots of tourism," Fr Joe said.

"I just don't see it (new casino in CBD) as necessary."

The former talkback radio talent said it wasn't about taking a position on gambling itself on principle, he just didn't believe the new CBD needed a casino element for it to "survive and exist as a premium tourist destination".

"I would regard it as a sign of desperation," he said.

"I'm looking at it as a business proposition, rather than on principle."

Fr Joe said he saw plenty of evidence of the damage gambling could have on those vulnerable to its pitfalls.

At a recent funeral he attended a family member of the deceased eulogised about their parent losing her home to a local venue and its pokies.

"It's alive and in your face," Fr Joe said.

"I'd want to see what commitment the casino was going to firstly to the serious issues of problem gambling that we have."

But he didn't think banning gambling was the correct approach.

He believed it was up to civic leaders to make a commitment to the community to protect residents from the "excesses of gambling" and control and manage the risks.

Fr Joe had concerns over the viability of surf clubs if a casino was developed.

"The CBD needs to prove it can be a success without a casino," he said.

"It's not a matter of being for or against a casino.

"I'd like to believe that a business case for the CBD could demonstrate it would be viable without a casino."

Federal MP Andrew Wallace had waged a public campaign against any possible casino development in the new CBD.

The State Government had said there was no casino licence available on the Sunshine Coast.