I am very concerned with the present political circumstances in our Federal Parliament in Canberra over the control of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The focus on the ‘numbers game’ has taken away focus from the important issues of the day, particularly problem gambling.<\/p>\n
I applaud Mr. Wilkie for his efforts in championing poker machine reform amidst broken promises from the Federal Government.<\/p>\n
However, the fact that this issue is only on the agenda because Mr. Wilkie holds a controlling vote demonstrates a sad state of affairs.\u00a0 The Government should repent of its opportunism and put its full weight behind genuine reform.<\/p>\n
Instead of looking at the numbers of aligned parliamentarians, Prime Minister Gillard should exercise leadership by giving due consideration to these numbers from our state of Tasmania:<\/p>\n
As our Capital watches the senseless machinations of the political Arena I encourage Mr. Wilkie to hold the principled position with boldness<\/a>. Please pray for wisdom and resilience for him, and success in gaining poker machine reform.<\/p>\n From Victoria,\u00a0$500,000 an hour lost on pokies<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n [1]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Source: Social and Economic Impact Study of Gambling in Tasmania, Summary Report, December 2011<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [2]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Source: andrewwilkie.org, April 2012<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [3]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Source: Anglicare Tasmania Action Sheet on Pokie Bet Limits, 2010<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am very concerned with the present political circumstances in our Federal Parliament in Canberra over the control of the House of Representatives. The focus on the ‘numbers game’ has taken away focus from the important issues of the day, … Continue reading
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