By Natassia Chrysanthos and Tom Rabe
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has vowed to stare down a scare campaign against poker machine reform after the powerful clubs lobby group launched its first major offensive since its war against the Gillard government a decade ago.
In a major escalation of the debate over cashless gaming cards three months out from the state election, ClubsNSW on Monday described the technology as “reckless and unproven” while Perrottet hit out against scare campaigns based on “fear and lies”.
Premier Dominic Perrottet has vowed to press ahead with gambling reforms.Credit: Edwina Pickles
The lobby group also unleashed a targeted attack on outspoken independent MP Helen Dalton, who told The Sydney Morning Herald earlier this month she supported moves to tackle problem gambling in NSW. In response, ClubsNSW chief executive Josh Landis said the regional MP was “supposed to be a community representative, not some petty dictator”.
But Perrottet said politicians needed to “do what’s right” and promised his government would not waver.
“This government is not going to be threatened,” Perrottet said. “My members are not going to be threatened because we are focused on doing what’s right.”
“[ClubsNSW] can say whatever they want. We are focused on fixing a major society issue.
“There’s not an election that passes where people [don’t] run scare campaigns, people run campaigns based on fear and lies … We are not going to be threatened in relation to [poker machine] changes.
“If you’re speaking the truth and doing what’s right you have nothing to fear.”
Perrottet last month promised to introduce cashless gaming technology to crack down on money laundering and problem gambling after a powerful NSW Crime Commission report said the technology could help tackle the billions of dollars in dirty money flowing through the state’s poker machines each year.
The move has been supported by several MPs including Dalton, other independents and the Greens.
However, the Nationals have been reluctant. And while Labor leader Chris Minns has backed a non-compulsory trial he has resisted adopting the crime commission’s advice, citing concerns about an economic impact on the industry.
ClubsNSW launched the statewide “Reform the Right Way” campaign on Monday with a call for “practical and proportionate reform”. The action singles out independents and the Greens, while inviting people to email their local MP.
“This is the first time certainly in at least a decade that there has been a need for clubs to really express to the community our frustration,” Landis said, in a reference to the “Save Our Clubs” campaign waged against Julia Gillard.
The former prime minister had agreed to a poker machine reform package as part of a crossbench deal to stay in power following the 2010 federal election but walked away from the policy after a ferocious campaign by the gaming industry.
Liberal MPs said on Monday they were expecting clubs to campaign against them if the industry doesn’t get the policy position it wants from Perrottet.
“We think [Labor leader] Chris Minns is right,” Landis said on Monday. “Let’s trial this thing.
“We’re just waiting for Dominic Perrottet to come out and say: look, can we just proceed with a bunch more trials, and we won’t commit to anything until we see the results of that trial. We think that’s fair and reasonable.”
Retiring Liberal Victor Dominello, who was dropped as the NSW gaming minister last year amid threats from the clubs industry of a campaign against the government at the election, said on Monday Perrottet was “working for the public interest, not vested interest”.
“I’ve got to give it to the premier, that is generational leadership,” he said.
Reverend Stu Cameron, the chief executive of Wesley Mission which is leading a gambling reform campaign with the support of independents and Greens, said the clubs’ attack against Dalton “should be seen as the first step in their statewide attempt to protect the huge incomes generated on the back of the proceeds of crime and from the misery of too many”.
“Every time sensible reforms to the gambling industry are suggested, ClubsNSW retaliates like a wounded bull, lashing out at anyone who dares challenge their pokies-reliant business model.”
In response to questions from the Herald, Landis said he wanted to achieve “cost-effective, workable solutions” by working with the premier.
“Naturally, clubs across the state are anxious to find out what the government’s plans are in relation to moving towards cashless gaming and we look forward to seeing the details of their proposal,” he said.
“As our clubs continue to get back on their feet in the wake of COVID and floods, they are looking to their MPs for support – not additional barriers to their future viability.”
He also doubled down on the charge against Dalton. “The campaign in Helen Dalton’s electorate was launched following her repeated refusal to meet with her local clubs and her advocacy for policies that would be detrimental to the club industry, its workforce and the broader community,” he said.
Dalton, who in a recent interview with the Herald revealed her support for gambling reform, rejected Landis’ claims she had refused to engage with clubs in her electorate, saying she had held phone calls with three local managers who had reached out to her.
She said she was now “in the spotlight” but would not back down.
“They’re going to target me, which I find quite interesting because I’m not opposed to gambling,” Dalton said. “Dominic Perrottet is the one who’s talking about introducing the gambling card.
“Maybe I’m just low-hanging fruit, and they’ll just see how tough I am. I’m doing the right thing, there’s no doubt. I haven’t got any regrets about taking the stance I have.”
Minns last week said he was prepared to reform the state’s lucrative gambling sector but only after the impact on the industry is fully calculated, despite a survey conducted by Resolve Strategic for the Herald showing the vast majority of voters want decisive action.
“I don’t think that’s an unreasonable position to take to the next election, but I’m prepared to deal with the judgment of the voters of NSW as a result of that position,” he said.
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