The Greens did have concerns, as did many members, in regard to the bill, which abolishes the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, particularly given the good work that they have been doing, and we also had broader concerns about harm minimisation when it comes to gambling and thought there were certainly many areas of improvement that the government could implement.
That is why we were really pleased to get the default loss limit of $50 implemented and also to have the government have a really good look at the community benefit scheme, much of which seems not to have been used necessarily for community benefit.
Specifically, the amendment, which was put up by Greens MP Kat Copsey and passed by the upper house, requires a review of the repeal of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and requires a number of specific areas for investigation.
Some of those areas were actually raised in the debate across the two chambers.
In short, the review will be looking at making sure that the replacement agencies are performing the vital functions and ensuring that the research remains independent and of value.
The Auditor-General did make a number of recommendations to protect the community from gambling harm, and these include recommendations that would have improved the work of the foundation.
We really want to make sure that the review sees that those recommendations are still acquitted through those agencies that are now performing those functions, and we are also ensuring that harm treatment services and education programs are adequate.
Regardless of members’ positions on the bill overall, we have designed these amendments to address a number of concerns raised in the debate, and we hope it gets the support of the chamber.
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