Dunne Peter: Gambling Amendment Bill (No 3) — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDunne Peter: Gambling Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading[Sitting date: 06 November 2014. Volume:701;Page:710. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PETER DUNNE (Minister of Internal Affairs):When I was speaking at the adjournment the other night I was talking about some of the provisions of the new bill in so far as they relate to conflicts of interest. I had spoken about the need to capture people who might be at the periphery of a venue’s operations but have a significant role within it. I had also talked about key people who might be in a position to receive benefits from any of the organisations in which they were involved.I want to move on from there. One of the more significant changes that this bill introduces is the prohibition of any money gifts or benefits between societies and venues aside from those legitimately paid through the venue cost payment system. The bill is intended to help clamp down on unhealthy competition for high-turnover venues around the country. In fact societies for some time have been accusing each other of offering these venues various sweeteners over and above what is legally payable in order to persuade them to sign up to host their gaming machines and this bill seeks to address that concern.The bill also makes a change in the area of compliance costs by allowing the Secretary for Internal Affairs to issue licences for gambling operators that last up to 3 years rather than just the current 18 months. The less frequent requirement for renewals will act as a reward for compliance and it will also help to reduce operator costs. I think that has the potential to be a benefit to the Department of Internal Affairs in its role as the regulator because its workload on licensing renewals could well substantially reduce as a consequence.The bill also removes the requirement for societies to publish grant information in at least one newspaper which can be costly. I am sure we all recall those big full-page spreads in national newspapers on occasions. But today information can be far more readily obtainable and available and it can be more comprehensive and more accessible if it is published on a website and so the changes that the bill contemplates will encourage greater flexibility in the publication of grant information to better meet the changing needs of particular stakeholders.The final part of the bill is to streamline the appeals framework under the Gambling Act. Societies have the right of appeal to the Gambling Commission against the department’s decision to suspend cancel not issue or not renew class 3 and 4 licences. When the commission was established back in 2003 one of its purposes was to be a specialist body that can consider appeals. What the bill does is uphold that by allowing an affected party to seek a judicial review but only after that party has exercised its right of appeal to the Gambling Commission and that appeal has been finally determined.I said at the start of the first reading the other night that this bill is an important step in an ongoing series of measures to restore greater public confidence in the gambling sector. We know that class 4 gambling generates many hundreds of millions of dollars every year and most of that money is ploughed back into the community. What this bill is about ensuring is that the maximum amount of money is ploughed back and that it goes to the right places. We are also therefore looking in the bill at decision-making and grant-making processes and at tightening up parts of the Gambling Act that potentially allow the opportunity for dishonest arrangements or where personal gains from gambling are sought. Both of those activities are clearly unacceptable. The bottom line very simply is that when the public of New Zealand pay their fee to take part they need to be assured that those who are involved in operating this type of gambling are doing the right thing and that the gambling funds are being used for what they were intended—namely the community need. So I am very comfortable commending this bill to the House and I look forward to the House’s support for it.