On Yahoo! “2012: The Year In Review” from ABC:  “Church anger over pokie  limit dumping”

 Tasmania’s Anglican Church has compared the Government to a drug dealer profiting from addicts, after a parliamentary committee recommended against a $1 betting limit.

The House of Assembly Select Committee was swayed by the gambling industry’s contribution to gross state product and potential  revenue decline.

The Anglican Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower says he is horrified and disgusted.

“The Government too has become an addict,” he said.

“The Government too is living off money that is destroying people.

“It’s like living off the money of selling opium to opium addicts but what about the addicts?

“We’re continuing to downgrade and diminish our social capital.”

Committee chairman Kim Booth issued a dissenting statement.

The Greens MP says there is overwhelming evidence in favour of a $1 betting limit and the committee’s recommendation is unsound and unconscionable.

“Both Liberal and Labor have teamed up together to protect the pokie barons and their profit and no, doubt, their political donors,” Mr Booth said.

“I find it quite amoral that both Labor and Liberal would act in unison together to prevent a definite, effective harm minimisation strategy being brought in to protect those vulnerable people and their families.”

He says the Greens will proceed with legislation to enforce a one dollar betting limit, despite the recommendation.

Mission Australia state director, Noel Mundy, is disappointed:

“Somewhere in all this is we’ve lost the issue that this is affecting individual’s lives,” he said.

“There are so many stories that really touch the hearts of us all when we hear that people have become addicted and this was one way to help them and we’ve just stepped aside from that.”

The Australian Hotels Association’s Steve Old has welcomed the recommendation.

“We’re delighted and that’s the outcome we’ve been seeking for a long time for our operators,” he said.

“There’s obviously still a lot to go in the federal sphere in relation to gaming at the moment and obviously we’re working through that with our national counterparts but it’s great to see that pressure taken off at a state level.”

Tasmanians lost more than $200 million on poker machines last year.

Despite my optimism after engaging with the Parliamentary Committee: $1 Bet Limit  and further information detailing its harm Cost of Pokies on Tasmania, our Tasmanian community continues to be the loser.