Robson Matt: Responsible Gambling Bill — Second Reading 
Robson Matt: Responsible Gambling Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:610;Page:7862] 
Hon MATT ROBSON (Deputy Leader—Progressive) 
: 
 It is always interesting to hear ACT members on gambling. They are experts particularly when it comes to the economy and they have a leader who was able to gamble with the whole country’s economy for quite a period of time. Fortunately that period has gone. The Progressive party being a responsible party supports the Responsible Gambling Bill. We expect the law change will make a positive contribution to enhancing the safety of our communities. It will tackle one of the well-known contributions to the incidence of poverty afflicting some parts of our society. 
As a member of Parliament with dual citizenship I draw on my deep Australian roots to know something about gambling. Following in the tradition of dual citizens who are Australians and giving the benefit of their erudition to this Parliament and previous ones I can say that I like to take bets at the races and other sporting events. I even bet with my children on the All Blacks games and because of my dual citizenship I am able to change my bet at half-time depending on who is winning. But ever since arriving in Parliament 7 years ago I have been aware that for some families gambling is not a simple issue of personal choice or individual freedom. The ACT party—and increasingly the National Party since its adoption of ACT’s key values and policies—talks a lot about choice and freedom. But of course every party represented in Parliament is a descendant of the liberal tradition that deeply values individual freedom and liberty. 
As serious parliamentarians we on this side of the House in the Labour-Progressive coalition also take into account the liberty and freedom of the children of those afflicted by chronic gambling problems. Life is never as simple as ACT party rhetoric or ideology implies. Most people would agree with Progressive’s view that the role of a responsible Government is to protect and enhance the well-being of all citizens. That includes the most vulnerable amongst us. My colleague Jim Anderton and I campaigned in the 1990s to support policies to minimise harm arising from problem gambling. The election of a centre-left coalition in late 1999 allowed us to deliver on that commitment and the Responsible Gambling Bill was introduced to the House 2 years ago. 
In October 2001 2 years ago there were 2095 gaming-machine sites in New Zealand with 20597 machines. At 30 June this year there were 25221 gaming machines located in 2122 gaming-machine sites. I look forward to the Committee stage of this debate for consensus by Parliament to put in place measures to limit the explosion in pokies that New Zealand has experienced in recent years. 
The legislation is a good example of MMP working. To get anything done in the House we need 61 votes. In this case it has required the cooperation of three parties Labour Progressive and United Future to get us above that critical threshold of 61 votes. It could have been more but the Green Party sulked on this issue. The thing about MMP is that we negotiate; we try to get the most for the people we represent. This legislation is a progressive step in the right direction—in terms of where it goes not in terms of politics—and is enough of a step that we can give it our support. I make the point that the bill is going forward because it has the support of the Progressives with Labour and United Future. That gives us 62 votes. If we were to vote against it the House would be evenly divided 60-60 and the bill would be lost. But the thing about MMP is that we negotiate to get the most for the people we represent. This legislation is a progressive step in the right direction and is enough of a step that we give it our support. 
We know that pokies are the most addictive form of gambling responsible for perhaps 70 percent of problem gamblers. A quarter of regular gaming-machine users experience gambling problems. There is a link between the number of pokies the total losses on them and the level of problem gambling. The parties that do support this bill know that what they are doing is a positive response to what community groups and anti-poverty campaigners are telling us. The community groups have been telling us for years that there is no question that gambling is a harmful activity for some people. 
The purpose of the bill is to facilitate responsible gambling and ensure the integrity and fairness of games. Its intention is to limit opportunities for crime dishonesty and exploitation of the vulnerable by facilitating direct community involvement in decisions about the provisions of gambling. The bill introduces measures to enhance the accountability and transparency of the gambling system and improvements to the level of community input into determining the number and location of non-casino gaming machines. In short this bill is an important part of the wide-ranging campaign to tackle poverty and make our communities safer.