Page: 4286
Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE: I ask the Treasurer a question without notice. Is it a fact that the Bulldogs Rugby League Club Ltd $1 billion-plus Oasis project at Liverpool includes plans for it to be eventually financed by the income from 1,000 poker machines, as alleged in the Sydney Morning Herald on 24 August? Is it a fact that the massive Oasis future development is based on the long-term plan for it to be eventually Sydney's second legal casino? What is the Government's current policy concerning the number of poker machines in the Oasis complex, both now and in the future—1,000, 600, 450? What is the figure? Will the Government support the Oasis complex eventually being Sydney's second legal casino?
The Hon. MICHAEL EGAN: I am not familiar with the business plan of Canterbury Bulldogs for the Oasis complex. However, I have read in the media that at one stage the club was hoping that it would have 1,000 poker machines located at the Oasis development. That, of course, was prior to the Government's reform of poker machine levels and licences, which, I think, was announced either earlier this year or some time last year. Honourable members will recall that under those reforms there is a cap on the total number of poker machine licences in New South Wales. That cap is 104,000. As well, there is a limit on the number of poker machines that any one venue can hold.
Except for the clubs that had in excess of the 450 limit and had their entitlements grandfathered, no new venue can have more than 450 poker machines. This is a serious question and honourable members should listen to the answer. However, there is provision for an allocation of a small number of licences-5, 10 or 15, I am not sure-for new clubs. Beyond that small entitlement a new club or a new venue would have to purchase additional licenses on the market within that cap of 450, or have additional licences transferred to it from an existing club. Those provisions would apply to any licensed club development at Liverpool. In other words, if the Canterbury club were to sponsor a club it would have to transfer some of its existing licences from the club located at Canterbury, or it would have to buy on the open market poker machine licences up to the cap of 450. I have no idea how that will affect the initial business plans of the Bulldogs, but that is the law. The law will apply to them as it does to anybody else.
Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile: The second part of the question was about the casino.
The Hon. MICHAEL EGAN: I am not an expert and I will seek some advice, but my understanding is that Star City has an exclusive licence that expires at some stage.
The Hon. Greg Pearce: Next year?
The Hon. MICHAEL EGAN: No, I do not think it is next year. You are a silly man. It is not next year.
The Hon. Greg Pearce: Are you sure?
The Hon. MICHAEL EGAN: It is not next year. It is some time off. As I understand it, it is so far off that I will probably be one of the few existing members in this House. I think it is before 2016. The Government will not make a policy decision about what might happen in 10 years time- [Time expired.]