Four Corners: June 20

Tonight’s Four Corners analyses the deal between Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie and his push for reforms on Pokies.

On 21st August last year, Andrew Wilkie, the soon to be elected member for Denison in Tasmania, received a phone call that changed political history. Julia Gillard was on the line congratulating him on his victory. The call began the process of negotiation that would result in Andrew Wilkie supporting the Labor Government.

For its part, Labor promised to introduce smart card technology that would force gamblers to decide in advance how much they would spend when they played poker machines.

This week on Four Corners, reporter Matthew Carney talks to key players who helped forge the deal. In the process, he tries to answer a series of questions: why did Andrew Wilkie choose poker machine reform as the make or break issue for his support of the government; why did he choose pre-commitment technology that had never been properly tested, and will this technology really reduce the amount of money problem gamblers spend?

While there is strong evidence that the reforms might help gamblers at risk, some experts seriously question its value for hard-core pokie addicts. As one tells Four Corners: “I think in fact there may be unintended consequences where gamblers set higher limits and then will gamble more amounts of money.”

Representatives of clubs and hotels that rely on poker machines for revenue claim the new policy will cost them billions of dollars and dramatically reduce their ability to provide support for community groups and sports clubs. But they aren’t the only groups opposing the deal.

Statistics demonstrate that at every level Australians are addicted to poker machines. Each year about $12 billion dollars are lost in gaming machines. Of that amount, it’s estimated problem gamblers lose $4.7billion a year. In turn, State governments take about $5 billion in tax. That is 10 per cent of their total tax revenue.

While surveys show that a clear majority of Australians agree with the need to reduce the impact of problem gambling, it’s also true that anyone who wants to reduce the amount of money spent on gaming machines encounters opposition at every level of business and government.

Despite this, Andrew Wilkie is undeterred. With State Premiers holding out against the plan, the Federal Government must now introduce legislation to over-ride the States’ objections. In a parliament where the Government held a clear majority, it would be tempting to make a strategic withdrawal or compromise.

But in a hung parliament, as Andrew Wilkie makes clear, for Labor that would be political suicide: “If they don’t progress the reforms, I will withdraw my support. I’ve never minced my words there and nothing’s changed. If that means the end of the Government so be it.”

‘Wilkie’s Gamble’, presented by Kerry O’Brien, goes to air on Monday 20th June at 8.30pm on ABC1