Mr GEORGE (Lismore) [5.57 p.m.]: Although my electorate has problems, it is with pleasure that I am able to tell the House a good story. Casino RSM Club Limited is leading the way in curbing a significant social evil in Australia: excessive gambling. On 22 July the club launched its responsible service of gaming policy. The club is the first in the Northern Rivers region to tackle the problem of excessive gambling by providing brochures to customers which detail what a gambling addiction is and how and where it can be treated.

Casino RSM Club Ltd is also committed to harm-minimisation initiatives that make it harder for a person to gamble problematically. Although most people who gamble treat it responsibly and as a form of entertainment, there are those for whom gambling has become a problem. Excessive gambling can lead to significant problems which may affect relationships, finances, work, and physical and mental health. If a person’s family members or friends think that person has a gambling problem, it may be beneficial to discuss these concerns with a counsellor. The following options are available to patrons with gambling-related problems should they wish to discuss them.

The first is self-exclusion. As part of their code of practice, customers can also now approach the club if they want to be excluded from the club’s gaming facilities because they feel they have a gambling problem. If they want to exclude themselves from the Casino RSM gaming facility, they have only to contact either of the community liaison officers.

Page 416

The community and industry co-ordinator of the Northern Rivers Gambling Service, Sandra Nicoll, helped the club design its policy and is now creating a new training course for staff based on the same model for the responsible service of alcohol legislation. Other services that are available include Lifeline and G-Line, which is a confidential telephone counselling and crisis referral service that runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The initiatives that have been implemented by Casino RSM Club in a country town are significant.

The club’s actions are considered to be proactive, as all clubs and hotels will eventually adopt such initiatives, which have been supported by the Minister for Gaming and Racing. I congratulate the board, management and staff of Casino RSM Club Ltd for its proactive stance to provide information on gaming awareness and free counselling services as part of the club’s responsible service of gaming policy.

Mr FACE (Charlestown - Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Hunter Development) [6.00 p.m.]: I congratulate the honourable member for Lismore on bringing the initiatives of Casino RSM Club Ltd to the attention of the House. The club, which I have visited on several occasions, has been responsible for a variety of initiatives and a wide range of activities. Without the support of Casino RSM, greyhound race meetings would no longer be held in the area. Sandra Nicoll is a most respected educator in gambling and alcohol harm minimisation.

As the honourable member would be aware, tomorrow I will introduce the Gambling Legislation Amendment (Responsible Gambling) Bill. No other jurisdiction in Australia or in the world has introduced such legislation. However, I would be the first to agree that the legislation is long overdue. The Government is building upon existing legislative controls to provide for the responsible conduct of gambling and harm minimisation associated with the misuse and abuse of gambling activities, as described by the honourable member for Lismore.

I congratulate Casino RSM Club on its initiatives, which support the endeavours of the Government through its proposed legislation. I intend to table detailed regulations under the legislation which will be subject to a consultation process. It is important that the Government gets it right. I released an exposure draft in July and sought submissions from stakeholders. The fact that every one of them was supportive assisted us to formulate effective legislation. The introduction of detailed regulations will further enable us to provide more effective legislation, which is long overdue.