Wesley Mission is backing a proposed motion to be considered by Georges River Council next week, calling for stronger State Government action to reduce poker machine gambling harm.
Wesley Mission General Manager, Joel MacKay, spoke at last night’s public forum in support of the motion, which highlights the growing impact of gambling losses in the local community and calls for practical, evidence-based reform.
Right now, Georges River communities are losing around $5 million every week on poker machines. At that rate, the LGA is on a trajectory to reach around half a billion dollars in losses each year by 2030 and that is only four years away.
That is money that should be supporting families, local businesses and community wellbeing.”
The motion recognises gambling harm as a significant public health issue and calls on the NSW Government to move beyond incremental reform and implement stronger measures, including cashless gaming, reduced operating hours, caps on machine numbers and increased support funding.
Mr MacKay says local communities are increasingly being left to deal with the consequences of gambling harm without having the power to regulate it.
Councils are responding to the social impact every day, however the levers for change sit with the State Government.
Start with the obvious and power down poker machines between midnight and 10am. A simple overnight shutdown would save families millions, reduce and prevent harm straight away and would be strongly supported by the community.”
Mr MacKay says the issue is particularly important in diverse communities like Georges River.
More than half the Georges River community speaks a language other than English and we know culturally and linguistically diverse communities can face increased risk of gambling harm. This makes prevention, safeguards and accessible support even more important.”
More than 60 organisations across NSW have joined Wesley Mission’s, Put Pokies in their Place campaign, with Georges River Council the first council to formally support it.
Georges River is showing strong local leadership and we encourage councils across the state to follow suit and support the campaign to Put Pokies in their Place. This is a clear signal that communities are ready for change and now the State Government needs to act,” MacKay says.
Wesley Mission continues to advocate for practical reforms that reduce gambling harm and support stronger, healthier communities across NSW.