Lees-Galloway Iain: Gambling Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
Lees-Galloway Iain: Gambling Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
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IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North) 
: 
 It is a pleasure to be probably the penultimate speaker on the Gambling Amendment Bill (No 2) this evening. I have listened to the debate during the evening and I have heard the bill being described variously as a technical tidy-up a fix-up an improvement on the original Act and an improvement to assist with the intent towards harm minimisation and controlling the growth of gambling venues and the availability of gambling in our communities. But I think—and this has been discussed a lot—that this bill does somewhat more than that; it is trying to address issues that are incredibly important to our communities and families. It essentially looks at two areas. The first is the transparency around how gaming funds are both collected and disseminated in our communities. The second looks at issues of problem gambling. Although I acknowledge some of the comments by Mr McClay and also by Mr Garrett around the good that funds from gambling can actually do for our communities it is important that we look closely at the transparency of how those funds move around our communities how they come in from gambling and how they go back out and at exactly to whom they are going and how trustworthy the processes are. 
It is good that we are looking at those issues but I will focus a little bit more on the problem-gambling side of things in this bill. The Act currently requires the holder of a class 4 venue licence or a casino operator’s licence to develop a policy for identifying problem gamblers. This bill widens the class of people who are required to use the policy to identify actual or potential problem gamblers to include the venue manager the holder of a casino operator’s licence or a person acting on behalf of either of those persons. The offence provision for the venue manager the holder of a casino operator’s licence or a person acting on behalf of either of those persons is amended to include those persons as well. The offence is punishable on summary conviction by a fine not exceeding $5000. 
The bill also requires the venue manager holder of a casino operator’s licence or a person acting on behalf of either of those people to take all reasonable steps to assist a person if the person’s behaviour gives rise to ongoing concerns about problem gambling. It also provides that an exclusion order must be issued to a self-identified problem gambler if the person has identified himself or herself as a problem gambler and has asked to be banned from a gambling venue. 
This is one of the very interesting things about gambling: it is addictive. Problem gambling is an addiction. People can actually self-identify as problem gamblers and still find themselves overcome by the compulsion to return to a gambling venue. This places the onus on those venue operators to make sure they have a plan in place to help and assist those people who identify themselves as problem gamblers. 
I will talk and reflect a while on some of the health issues associated with problem gambling. As it is addictive—it is not a substance like alcohol or drugs but it is equally addictive—gambling is a health issue and the health implications need to be considered alongside what we are trying to do here tonight with this bill. With a large number of New Zealanders each year being characterised as problem gamblers a range of harmful and socially damaging effects have been evidenced to impact individuals families whanau and communities. Individuals defined as problem gamblers can suffer from depression poor physical health and physical feelings of withdrawal and compulsion. They may also display signs of mental addiction similar to drug users and drastic changes to normal patterns of social interaction and behaviours. 
A recent Australian study found a number of key indicators around problem gambling. The study showed that 20.3 percent of problem gamblers evidenced physical symptoms associated with their problem gambling—the like of which Dr Jackie Blue referred to earlier on; 64.5 percent had significant anger problems that were identified as contributing factors to incidents of violence; 60 percent suffered varying forms of clinical depression; and 1.7 percent of suicides were linked to problem gambling with between 17 and 24 percent of all problem gamblers having attempted suicide at least once. Seventy-five percent of problem gamblers also suffered from alcohol addiction problems. The two are inextricably linked. The Ministry of Health statistics in 2006 showed that 58 percent of problem gamblers were cigarette smokers compared with only 23.5 percent of the rest of the population. Problem gamblers were identified as three times more likely than non - problem gamblers to be daily persistent smokers. Gamblers who smoked on a daily basis gambled on more days and spent more money than non - daily smoking gamblers. They also craved gambling more than other gamblers did. 
It is highly concerning to me that the select committee was not able to come to a conclusion on the question of pokie machines being placed outside of gaming venues in order to allow people to smoke and gamble at the same time. Not only that they are able to smoke drink and gamble at the same time. There is nothing like the ultimate cocktail the ultimate mix— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: The trifecta. 
IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY 
:—exactly—of addictions. What a fantastic way to send people at the margins of our community into a spiral and push them further out on to the margins! It is very disappointing that the select committee was not able to come to a conclusion on that one but I am very pleased to see that the Minister seems to differ from his colleagues who were sitting on the select committee and that we might yet see some progress in this area. 
But it is not just addiction and health issues that we need to focus on in regard to problem gambling. In a recent international survey 62.9 percent of problem gamblers responded that they had perpetrated or been the victim of domestic violence in the last 12 months 55.6 percent reported perpetrating physical assaults and/or sexual coercion and 25.4 percent reported severe incidents of domestic violence. In Australia up to 1600 divorces per year are directly related to the stress of problem gambling leading to the creation of possible dysfunctional and damaging impacts upon children. The children of problem gamblers were reported to be two to three times more likely to be abused by both the gambler and his or her spouse than were the children of non - problem gamblers. 
Often due to the financial strain placed upon families and households with a problem gambler money set aside for food and children’s needs is redirected into gambling. This can lead to absences truancy children dropping out of school entirely and a greater chance that the children may undertake risky behaviour themselves such as drinking smoking drug use and problem gambling. It is a never-ending cycle unless we are prepared to do something about it. 
This bill this evening is great. We are trying to do something about it. But just as with the sale and supply of liquor it has to be backed up at the other end by what we are doing in the health sector. The strategies we have for dealing with drug use alcohol abuse and gambling abuse have to be not only at the justice end not only at the end of the supply and the availability of those substances and opportunities but also at the health end. How do we make sure that there is addiction treatment and appropriate treatment available for people? 
One would think given some of the statistics I have read out this evening that the Government would have a clear focus on those health issues. But what area do they come under? Where does the funding come from? It comes from mental health. What has just dropped off the priority list for this Government? It is mental health. How can we possibly be serious about dealing with drug addiction alcohol addiction and gambling addiction if we do not have a focus on mental health? How frustrating it must be to be Simon Power at the moment. He is trying to deal with alcohol issues. Bills have gone through the House and he is trying to have a discussion in the community. That is fantastic. But without the support of his health Minister how will we get anywhere? It is just appalling that the health Minister clearly does not think that mental health and the maintenance of good mental health in our communities is a priority. When work absenteeism family violence and addiction issues are so prevalent in our communities now is the last time with a recession upon us and all the mental health issues that come with unemployment to turn our back on mental health.