Sio William: Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSio William: Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 04 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13276. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Su’aWILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere): I do not know whether I heard correctly but the member Jian Yang seemed to have said earlier that by gambling poor people living in poor communities will be able to improve themselves and move into the wealthier parts of Auckland City. If that is what he believes what an appalling stateof Government we have. To then say also that the Government takes seriously the problems that gambling causes in our community is appalling when you consider that in Manukau alone after taking into consideration the money that goes into gambling and pokie machines and then out to the sports clubs the community is left with a $90 million deficit on an annual basis. We know from the problem-gambling organisations that gamblers gamble away $5.5 million a week—it is in the billions of dollars a year. So I do not know where that Government and that particular member get their information from but they are plainly wrong. I do not want to use the other word but I will say simply that they are wrong. This is why we continue to have this debate. This is why up and down this country there are organisations that believe strongly that the direction this Government is taking this country in is the wrong direction and is taking this country backwards. It does not favour the benefit of all New Zealanders. It is looking after only its mates—in this caseSkycity Casino.I want to acknowledge Te Ururoa Flavell and the Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill he has brought forward. I know that when I first saw the bill I acknowledged the fact that he picked up on issues that this country needs to deal with. I know that his intentions were right. I know that he personally also knows the harm that gambling does to Māori and Pasifika and a range of other sectors of our community. It is not his fault that the bill is the way it is now. That clearly falls on the shoulders of this particular Government because it is not its intention to solve the problem gambling that harms our community. It is its intention to ensure that its friends and its mates make millions—if not billions—of dollars by causing harm to others. It is not its intention to support communities in poor areas so that the people ofMāngere end up living in Remuera. That is not its intention whatsoever. Its intention is to milk as much as possible off those who are in low-income situations. In fact it has been noted that we now have a society created largely—but not solely—by this Government where it seems for poor communities that they have got to gamble just in the belief that that is going to make ends meet. That is the kind of society that we now live in.For 5 years this Government has contributed strongly to ensuring that the poor continue to be poor. If you look at the evidence that has been found today since this Government has been in power the gap of inequality has certainly widened. But the community are not blind to that. About 2 weeks ago I held a meeting in my electorate ofMāngere where people were very much concerned as reflected by their submissions on this bill and on subsequent legislation that this Government has put forward. People are opposed to the increase in pokies. They are opposed to it because of the harm. Until that Government recognises that there is significant harm caused by the way that it has manipulated this legislation and the way that it has dealt toSkycity in the secret—well not so secret now—deal I do not think that this is the kind of country that in the end is going to benefit the significant populations that are wanting support that are wanting jobs that are wanting incomes and that are wanting genuine jobs that they can get ahead in. This Government when it manipulates bills such as this and interferes with the clear intentions that were at the beginning so that there is no longer protection for problem gamblers is again the kind of Government that ought to be kicked out come 2014.