ALP denies thousands of pokies jobs are at risk in Tasmania

CLAIMS up to 5100 jobs would be placed at risk by a pokies rollback have been questioned by Labor and the Greens.

CLAIMS up to 5100 jobs would be placed at risk by a pokies rollback have been questioned by Labor and the Greens.

The Love Your Local campaign claims Labor’s plan to scrap pokies from pubs and clubs would destroy the economic viability of many venues.

Chairman Michael Best said the figure of 5100 jobs was based on every employee at Federal Group plus every employee at the 96 venues with poker machines — but did not include flow-on effects for other businesses.

MORE: PUBS, CLUBS TAKE AIM AT LABOR’S POKIES BAN

“Some operations, if gaming goes, they’re going to have to restrict trading hours of other parts of their business, they’re going to have to drop staff numbers, the viability of the remainder of the business will come into question because of the contribution that gaming was providing to the overall profitability of that venue,” he said.

“When you look at some of those venues, when that revenue has gone out, the financier moves in and they’re out the door.

“That’s where the numbers are going to escalate and, obviously, it’s going to be a pretty high number.”

Mr Best said Labor’s proposed compensation schemes would not be adequate to ensure the survival of many venues if they lost poker machine income.

Labor leader Rebecca White rejected the claims of massive job losses.

“We need to be really careful here when we consider the rhetoric being used by the pro-pokies lobby because it’s not truthful,” she said.

“We know from evidence from independent experts that removal of poker machines from our pubs and clubs will see a direct benefit and uplift in jobs in those communities because that money will recirculate and support other economic activity in those communities.

“That money that’s currently lost to poker machines will be redirected to spending in other areas of our economy creating more jobs.”

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor — whose party also supports the removal of pokies from pubs and clubs — also questioned the figures.

“For the THA, Federal Hotels and other venue operators to claim their entire workforce is at risk if pokies are removed from pubs and clubs is a wild, desperate exaggeration.

“Really, this is just baseless scaremongering in an attempt to drive voters to the Liberals, who’ve taken the side of vested interests over the Tasmanian people.”

The Government will reveal its final poker machine policy today.

“The monopoly will end and pubs and clubs will be individually licensed to own and operate their own machines,” a spokesman said.

“There will be significant change to the allocation of returns. Pubs and clubs will receive a larger share, taxpayers will receive a larger share, which can be spent on schools and hospitals, and the network which will be put to the market will receive significantly less.”