Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (11:48): Today I rise to make a contribution on the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation Repeal and Advisory Councils Bill 2024. In May last year I was appointed to be a director on the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, joining the member for Malvern, and I take this opportunity to thank the member for Malvern for leading the way in this space and for his dedication and contribution over many years to the board.
Along with my fellow board members I am truly astounded and appalled by this decision by the ministers to abolish this foundation. This has been a massive shock to the foundation and still is to this day. The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation has been a highly functional body that has proven its value and the difference it has made addressing responsible gambling and gambling harm. To think at a time when people’s lives are severely impacted by gambling, during a cost of living crisis, this government is shutting down their key body who are providing a successful service to those most vulnerable.
We know that gambling addiction is linked to increased family violence as well as mental health issues and suicide. The Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation has not provided justification for this decision, and as the lead speaker the member for Gippsland South raised, there has been no review and analysis or any clear reasoning for this decision. As the Minister stated in her second-reading speech on the bill:
Each year, more than half-a-million Victorians experience gambling harm – whether it be related to their own or someone else’s gambling.
Half a million lives are impacted, yet we make a significant change with no review.
I did receive a letter of thanks, and the member for Malvern also mentioned the letter he received from the minister in regard to how outstandingly the board had performed and how the foundation had provided successful outcomes. I have also been so impressed by the hard work of the board and the incredible work that has been done not just during my time on the board but for the many years prior. I wanted to join this board, as my region has very high gambling harm statistics. In the new proposed model, how will the voices of the regions be heard?
I have also seen firsthand the devastation gambling addiction can have.
A close friend has a gambling addiction, and none of us were aware until it was too late. He lost the family’s life savings, including the money from the sale of their family home. It was just the most devastating time not only for his family but also for us as close friends. The devastating part to this is there were no signs and he just kept running the bank account down until there was nothing left – over $200,000 gone. The impact on the family is life changing. They will never be able to afford to own a home again. We need to keep working hard to avoid these types of scenarios, and as we know, there are many stories like this.
I would like to pay tribute to the foundation’s board chair Tass Mousaferiadis and deputy chair Dr Alison Roberts as well as fellow directors and staff of the foundation. I must say that I have sat on many boards; this would have to be one of the most professional, productive and hardworking boards that I have been involved in. As I have mentioned, the minister has not given the board a relevant reason for this decision. When I look back on my time and what I have witnessed and the work prior, it has been an incredibly successful foundation. The foundation has played an important role in responsible gambling as well as supporting people affected by gambling harm by focusing on prevention, early intervention and support for those who are particularly vulnerable to gambling harm, as well as those living in regional and rural communities such as my electorate of Shepparton district.
The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation was first established by the former coalition government in 2012 under the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation Act 2011 specifically to address gambling harm in the Victorian community by the then Minister for Gaming the member for Malvern. The foundation’s purpose has been to prevent and reduce gambling harm for all Victorians. Since its establishment by the former coalition government, the foundation has funded research and other activities that add to the knowledge and understanding of gambling harm; worked in partnership with others to offer evidence-based prevention programs and support services to those affected by gambling harm; and delivered communication campaigns that inform and influence gambling-related attitudes and behaviours.
Axing the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation will only place additional hurdles in the way of people with a gambling problem seeking assistance, help and support. Putting an important organisation like the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation on the chopping board has put further out of reach support for Victorians with a gambling problem. Problem gambling statistics continue to rise, and we know the incredible impact on those affected and their loved ones. This is not a program the Allan government should be cutting at a time when more households and individuals are under financial pressure and the risks of gambling harm are heightened. Despite being sold as a reform, this is clearly a cost-saving exercise, because the Allan Labor government cannot manage money and Victorians are paying the price.
Instead the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation will be moved to the Department of Health, to integrate, so the government claims, with community health services, and gambling harm awareness functions will be transitioned to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission. They are literally pulling apart these services, which will cause a disconnect and completely abolish the hard work that has been achieved so far.
There have been so many successful programs rolled out that have truly made a difference. In 2014 the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation launched the Love the Game sporting club program in response to community concern about the convergence of sport and gambling. To date the program helps reduce young people’s exposure to sports betting advertising and raises awareness of the risks of gambling harm for young people growing up in this particularly normalised environment.
Some 659 sporting clubs across the state have signed up as part of the program, such as the Grahamvale Sports Club and Tallygaroopna Football Netball Club, which are in my electorate. In addition, more than 90 Victorian schools are involved through the school education program. Be Ahead of the Game is a school education program that is designed to help young people understand the risks associated with gambling and gambling harm. The program offers free 1-hour information sessions for students, parents and teachers; free curriculum-aligned teaching resources for upper primary to senior secondary students; as well as information and resources for parents and carers to support young people. Gambler’s Help is an important initiative that provides services via a range of community organisations across the state, particularly in rural and regional Victoria. Gambler’s Help provides services like online, telephone and face-to-face counselling and advice and information.
Across the Shepparton district electorate gambling has a significant impact on individuals that gamble. As such, data provided by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission for 2022–23 shows $117,000 alone was spent on pokies per day, equating to close to $43 million per year across eight venues with a combined total of 329 poker machines. From this data provided by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, Greater Shepparton is ranked 28th in the state for high pokies expenditure; in addition Greater Shepparton is ranked ninth in Victoria for socio-economic disadvantage.
We should be supporting the foundation to continue their great work when the need for support for those experiencing gambling harm is so high, not retracting years of hard work and proven data when the foundation is making such a difference.
In closing, I just need to also raise a couple of incidents. I have a very close friend who has an 18-year-old son, and at this very time she is trying to support him in regard to his gambling addiction. We know the young people within our community often get on their phones and gamble. This young gentleman was at university, and he has now had to remove himself from his education due to his gambling addiction. We know there are many incidents, but it is the young people across my communities that really deeply worry me. They are the people of our future, and we have to keep trying to do more. I oppose this bill before the house.