Former finance minister blasts industry lobbying against gaming machine reforms in Tasmania

Michael Ferguson says Tasmanian politicians are under pressure from the Tasmanian Hospitality Association.

Australia.- Michael Ferguson, Tasmania’s former finance minister, has published an opinion article in The Mercury arguing that the state’s hospitality association is putting pressure on politicians through a coordinated campaign against proposals for a mandatory pre-commitment card for electronic gaming machines.

Ferguson introduced the cashless gaming card proposal in 2022, aiming to restrict losses to AU$100 per day, AU$500 per month, and AU$5,000 per year. However, the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) argues that up to half of the venues hosting poker machines could face closure if the proposal is introduced. Ferguson claims this misrepresents the potential effects of the reform. Ferguson said recent financial figures show robust growth in hospitality revenue.

See also: Opposition raises concerns over progress on Tasmania gaming machine reforms

Rosalie Woodruff MP, from the Greens, said “the pokies lobby has both Liberal and Labor under their thumb.” She added: “Michael Ferguson’s extraordinary words in the Mercury outline the influence of the pokies industry on politicians. For a man who’s never put a foot across the party line, Mr Ferguson has taken the extraordinary step of speaking up strongly against his Premier’s backflip on mandatory pre-commitment cards.

“Michael Ferguson understands just how powerful the pokies lobby are, and he can see them influencing government policy in real-time. He’s called out the dishonest and self-interested arguments of “sectional interests” trying to unstitch nation-leading reforms.”

Meanwhile, Meg Webb, an independent member of the Legislative Council, said: “Former deputy premier and treasurer, Michael Ferguson, has finally aired the dirty laundry we all knew was hidden behind government’s closed doors.  We now have clear confirmation of the pressure applied by the pokies industry to rewrite public policy to protect its profits.

“The current Treasurer must now release the pokies data detailing the monthly profit results for licenced venues since the introduction of the new gaming laws in mid-2023. Earlier this week I had already put in a request for that data. Former-Treasurer Mr Ferguson has now confirmed the government has that pokies revenue data so there is no reason why it cannot be released immediately.

“Sadly, we also have confirmation that Labor has been captured by the pokies industry, with the Opposition Leader today again reported parroting the industry’s line on facial recognition technology despite evidence showing that is a marginally effective pokies reform option.”

The Tasmanian government has commissioned Deloitte to conduct an independent review of the proposal’s likely impact on the hospitality industry.