Australia: Lane Cove Council approves plan to remove gaming machines from its venues

Greens councillor Rochelle Flood said councils shouldn’t support poker machines.

Australia.- Lane Cove Council in Sydney’s lower north shore has voted in favour of a plan that could lead to the removal of gaming machines from council-owned venues. The plan would affect 17 machines: 10 located at Longueville Sporting Club and 7 at the Lane Cove Bowling and Recreation Club, where the council owns the land and buildings.

Lane Cove Council staff will commence discussions with the clubs. Greens councillor Rochelle Flood, who proposed the plan, said the objective is to transition the sites into pokie-free venues when their leases come up for renewal. The Lane Cove Bowling and Recreation Club’s lease is set to expire in 2028.

Flood told ABC Radio that councils “shouldn’t be in the business of supporting gambling or poker machines in any way.”

Seven of the nine members of the council voted in favour of the plan. Mayor Scott Bennison abstained because he is an auditor of a club named The Diddy and Liberal councillor David Brooks-Horn opposed the plan, describing it as “nanny-state” and warning of the impact on club finances.

83% of NSW residents back proposed gaming machine restrictions, survey finds

Earlier this month, a survey conducted by Wesley Mission and FastTracker found that 83 per cent of respondents support a proposal to switch off gaming machines between midnight and 10am. Meanwhile, 72 per cent don’t trust the NSW government to stand up to the gambling industry and 60 per cent question the government’s commitment to addressing gambling harm.

About one-third of the people supported the government making cashless gambling cards mandatory at all venues, with limits on how much money can be lost. The survey, in its third iteration, involved 1,007 participants and was conducted between April 19 to 21.

See also: New responsible gambling measures introduced in New South Wales