ClubGRANTS Scheme Doing More Harm than Good and Should be Scrapped: Greens
The release of ClubGRANTS data has exposed the controversial scheme as little more than a cover that clubs hide behind when facing criticism of the negative impacts pokies cause local communities and is more proof the scheme should be scrapped, said Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and gambling harm reduction spokesperson.
“When you consider that the people of NSW are losing more than $22 million per day to poker machines, it’s beyond the pale for ClubsNSW to say they go ‘above and beyond’ in their support for local communities,” said Cate Faehrmann.
“The $121 million that clubs gave to community organisations last financial year is less than 6 days worth of pokies losses. Meanwhile, they’ve continued to line their own pockets, including of their own wealthy sporting clubs.
“Overall, ClubGRANTS do more harm than good. Firstly, the cost to local communities that gambling addiction causes is far more than the piddly amounts given by clubs in the form of grants. Secondly, clubs use ClubGRANTS to conveniently ignore the fact that their local communities lose tens of millions of dollars each year on their poker machines.
“No amount of grants to community organisations can justify the pain that pokies cause to individuals, families and to entire communities. Poker machines are deliberately addictive and clubs know this.
“The Government should have acted on this as soon as it came to office, yet all they’ve done is hide behind yet another review that is light on detail. For example, we have no idea when the review will be complete, and I have little faith that the ClubGRANTS scheme will be substantially overhauled
“The Government should scrap the scheme and establish a permanent, generous funding mechanism for community organisations and voluntary sporting bodies by taxing poker machines much more,” said Ms Faehrmann.