Minto for Mayor

24 September 2013

Media Release:

Government consultation protects pokie industry rather than families

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain’s proposals for reform of the non-casino gambling will be a help to the gambling industry rather than families and communities who pay a heavy price for problem gambling.

Tinkering with the minimum amounts to be returned to the communities it was taken from is no answer and allowing longer licences to be issued for “compliant Societies” will only encourage these parasitic companies rather than provide relief to long suffering communities.

Minto for Mayor would give communities the right to decide if they want pokie machines and if the community says no then the machines would go.

All over Auckland low-income communities want to get rid of these deliberately-addictive machines. Communities should have the right of veto over them rather than the government allowing these machines to parasitize on low-income areas to provide sports and horse racing events for wealthier areas.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell:
On What John Banks And Nick Smith Have In Common

The defence that John Banks has been offering to the charges of electoral fraud – that he didn’t read the document he signed, and therefore lacked the necessary criminal intent – is a fairly standard example of political business as usual.

At a time when political power is being centralised downtown in the Executive, responsibility is being re-located to the suburbs. The Beehive seeks to operate as a blame free, shame free environment. At all times, plausible deniability is to be maintained.

Being able to put distance between the Minister and the actions/outcomes/political fallout of policy is not simply the last desperate resort of scoundrels, but the first resort of the foot soldiers in ministerial service... More>>