Earlier this year the Government announced that a public interest test would apply to any new application for pokies in Tasmania.
Currently, laws are being drafted that would implement a public interest test and they will be debated in Parliament as soon as possible. As I told Parliament in March this year, these laws will be retrospective, so even if a licence is granted in the meantime, it will still have to pass the public interest test once the new laws are introduced.
Whether or not a licence applicant wants to take on that level of risk is up to the applicant.
The Government has also announced that it will reduce the overall number of pokies in the State and is looking to reform Tasmania’s gambling framework. We are urging anyone who is concerned or who has ideas to come forward and have their say.
More information is available at - http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Joint/FutureGamingMarkets.htm