LETTER from CANBERRA Saving You Time
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LETTERLETTER FROM FROM CANBERRA CANBERRA Saving youSaving time. you Three time. years Three on. years After on.Letter After from Letter Melbourne, from Melbourne, established established 1994. 1994. A monthly A newslettermonthly newsletter distilling distilling public policy public and policy government and government decisions decisions which affect which business affect businessopportunities opportunities in Australia in Australia and beyond. and beyond. Post-BudgetPost-Budget and Gambling and Gambling Edition Edition4 May to4 May6 June to 62011 June Issue 2011 34 Issue 34 EditorialEditorial Gambling Gambling all around. all around. oker machinesoker machineshave featured have infeatured politics inin politicsrecent months.in recent Historically, months. Historically, regulating regulatinggambling gamblingand imposing and imposinggambling gamblingtaxes has taxesbeen hasa state been a state P responsibility.P responsibility. Indeed along Indeed with along property, with labour property, and labour motor andvehicles, motor it vehicles, is it is one of the onefew ofsignificant the few significant sources of sourcesrevenue ofavailable revenue to available the states. to theThe states. Courts The Courts have underminedhave undermined the capacity the of capacity the states of theto imposestates totaxes impose since taxes the endsince of the end of World WarWorld 2. War 2. However, asHowever, a result as of athe result pressure of the applied pressure by appliedan Independent by an Independent Tasmanian Tasmanian MP MP Andrew Wilkie,Andrew the Wilkie, Federal the Government Federal Government has concluded has concludedit has the constitutionalit has the constitutional power to imposepower toitself impose in the itself area in of the regulating area of regulatingpoker machines. poker machines. Ironically, givenIronically, it is stategiven Liberalit is state governments Liberal governments which have which been have most been vocal most in vocal in their oppositiontheir oppositionto the Federal to the government’s Federal government’s plan to impose plan toself-determined impose self-determined mandatory,mandatory, as distinct as from distinct voluntary, from voluntary,gambling gamblinglimits on limitspoker onmachine poker machine players, theplayers, Howard the government Howard government may well havemay welllaid thehave foundations laid the foundations for Julia for Julia Gillard’s legalGillard’s claim. legal By usingclaim. theBy corporationsusing the corporations power and power the external and the affairs external affairs power to enactpower legislation to enact legislationsuch as Workchoices, such as Workchoices, the Howard the government Howard government drove drove the last nailthe into last the nail coffin into theof states’coffin rights.of states’ rights. Putting principlePutting to principle one side, to includingone side, theincluding question the ofquestion the extent of theto whichextent ato which a governmentgovernment ought to capitulate ought to capitulateto the demands to the ofdemands one of 150 of one federal of 150 MPs, federal the MPs, the politics of thepolitics issue of are the interesting. issue are interesting. Clearly whileClearly the publicwhile thedoes public not feel does strongly not feel about strongly many about forms many of gambling, forms of gambling, they do notthey like dopoker not machines.like poker machines.National Party National Senator Party Barnaby Senator Joyce Barnaby reflected Joyce reflected communitycommunity sentiment sentimentwhen he said when that he if said the industrythat if the did industry not do didsomething not do something to to rein in gamblingrein in ongambling poker machines, on poker machines,politicians politicianswould have would to. have to. State governmentsState governments are not credible are not on credible this issue on becausethis issue there because is a widely there is held a widely held view that itview is Treasury that it is departments Treasury departments which really which dictate really poker dictate machine poker policy machine policy in most states.in most states. That leavesThat the leaves clubs andthe clubsthe pubs, and thewhich pubs, point which to the point jobs to and the communityjobs and community benefits benefitswhich flow which from flowpoker from machines poker andmachines which andare whichwell organised. are well organised. It will be interestingIt will be interesting to see whether, to see for whether, voters in for electorates voters in electorates such as Corangamite such as Corangamite in Victoria andin Victoria those inand the those western in the suburbs western of suburbs Sydney, ofthese Sydney, benefits these outweighbenefits outweigh their disapprovaltheir disapproval of this form of of this gambling. form of gambling. Whatever Whateverthe outcome, the outcome,for Julia Gillardfor Julia the Gillard die is thecast, die courtesy is cast, ofcourtesy Andrew of Andrew Wilkie. Wilkie. But it’s notBut just it’s poker not justmachines. poker machines.Nor taking Nor on thetaking tobacco on the companies. tobacco companies. LETTER FROM CANBERRA Saving you time. Three years on. After Letter from Melbourne, established 1994. 4 May to 6 June 2011 LETTER A monthly newsletter distilling public policyFROM and government decisions whichCANBERRA affect business opportunities in Australia and beyond. Saving you time. Three years on. After Letter from Melbourne, established 1994. Post-Budget A monthly and newsletter Gambling distilling Edition public 4 May policy to and 6 Junegovernment 2011 decisions Issue 34 which affect business opportunities in Australia and beyond. Post-Budget and Gambling Edition 4 May to 6 June 2011 Issue 34 LETTEREditorial GamblingLETTER all around.FROM FROM CANBERRA CANBERRA There is plentyThere of is otherplenty gambling of other forgambling a prime for minister a prime who minister is just who about is justhalf- about half- LETTER FROM CANBERRA LETTER FROMSaving you time. Three years SavingCANBERRA on. After you time.Letter Three from yearsMelbourne, on. After established Letter from 1994. Melbourne, established 1994. AEditorial monthlySavingoker younewsletter machinestime. Gambling Three distilling have yearsA featuredmonthly public allon. around.Afterin newsletterpolicy politics Letter and in recentfromdistillinggovernment Melbourne,months. public decisions Historically, policy established whichand government affect1994. business decisions opportunities which affect in Australia business and opportunities beyond. in Australia and beyond. Letter from Canberra is a monthly newsletter distilling public policy and governmentLETTER decisions FROM that CANBERRA effect A monthly newsletter distilling publicregulating policy gambling and government and imposing decisions gambling which taxes affect has been business a state opportunities in Australia and beyond. oker machines have featured in politics in recent months. Historically, business opportunities in Australia and beyond. You only need to be on a trip to miss out on the context of Post-Budget andP Gamblingresponsibility. Edition Indeed along 4 Maywith property, to 6 June labour 2011and motor Issue vehicles, 34 it is regulatingPost-Budget gambling and imposingand Gambling gambling taxesEdition has been4 May a state to 6 June 2011 Issue 34 Post-Budget and Gambling Editionone of4 theMay few tosignificant 6 June sources 2011 of Issuerevenue 34available to the states. The Courts important stories. In a world of wall-to-wall information overload, we have been summarizing the media and Phaveresponsibility. undermined Indeed the capacity along with of theproperty, states labour to impose and motortaxes vehicles,since the it end is of coffee-shop gossip for 18 years now, along with Letter from Melbourne. Editorialone Gambling Worldof the WarfewEditorial significant2. all around. sources Gambling of revenue available all around. to the states. The Courts Gambling all around.have undermined the capacity of the states to impose taxes since the end of !"#$%$#"&'()$*($+,-./01#,2)$'")(/1"3$'/(,- !"#4)/1 Editorial oker machines have featured in politics in recent months. Historically, ! WorldHowever, War 2. as a resultoker machinesof the pressure have appliedfeatured by in an politics Independent in recent Tasmanian months. MP Historically, Letter)56789:6;$6;<=9;$>?$/8@=6;9$%A?A$BCD$E=$:C@=$@F;$D9BG$@=$G:C$%$C:EF@7H$:C8I5D:CE$69;BJ<B7@$<=9$@G=H$B@$(F;$'=@;I$!:CD7=9K from Canberra is focused on the interface of business and government, with enough politics and regulating gambling and imposing gambling taxes has been a state oker machines have featured in politics Andrewin recent Wilkie, months. regulatingthe FederalHistorically, gambling Government and has imposing concluded gambling it has the taxes constitutional has been a state policy background to enable you to grasp any relevant business opportunities. responsibility. Indeed along with property, labour and motor vehicles, it is regulating gamblingP and imposing gamblingHowever,power taxesas to P aimpose result hasresponsibility. ofbeenitself the inpressurea thestate area Indeed applied of regulatingalong by withan Independentpoker property, machines. labour Tasmanian and motor MP vehicles, it is *$=C;$L;B9$756789:M@:=C$@=$!"##"$%&$'(%)"*+',$-"$=9$./-+"$$/$NO%PQ$:C8K$&)(R$:C8I5D;7$?A$:775;7 P responsibility. Indeedone along of the with few property, significantAndrew labour Wilkie,sources andone themotor ofof revenueFederal the vehicles, few Governmentsignificantavailable it is to the sourceshas states. concluded of