The VCAT appeal is worth it
16 February, 2012
As a medical practitioner I know I am meant to be very interested in the numbers, stats and evidence. I am, but bottom line for me is that in my role, I want to be able to sit across from my patients and say that I have done my best with what I have available to prevent you from ill heath or disease (dis-ease).
As pointed out with legal activities like smoking and alcohol, mostly patients get sick despite all we have available, through their own unhealthy choices. But, if VCAT appeal can do something to stop just one vulnerable person in our shire from destroying their families and then themselves, then I think it is worth it. And then as a GP I can say to my community we have done all we can with what is available to prevent such a tragedy.
As Cr Cross points out we are gambling a lot of rate payers money to avoid a small percentage increase in the number of problem gamblers in our community. I’m sure if my brother or sister were one of those one percenters, I would regret not pitching in what I could. I commend Peter Cole on his bravery to share his tragedy with such a crowd at the meeting. He must see it as an insanity that he needs to stand and argue the same point that he argued way back when the Cumberland introduced the first EGMs into Castlemaine.
I would be devastated if the predicted costs of the VCAT appeal puts added strain on vulnerable rate payers of our community, and I would be interested in those numbers (ie the predicted rate rises as a result.) In the bigger picture, my opinion would be, the cost spread over the whole shire would be small, but I agree also fundraising from those who want to put their “money where there mouth” is could be a creative option.
I will continue to support the action against the introduction of more EGMs in Castlemaine along with my colleagues. Well done all involved, including Cr Cross for standing up for the rights of all the community – let’s hope the the passion of the people is translated into a healthy and thriving community into the future.
Richard Mayes (GP)
Castlemaine
Posted in Economics, Environment, Health, Letters, Live in Castlemaine, Local news, News, Politics, Social Justice, Top Stories
February 18th, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Richard, thank you for your thoughts.
I agree that money would be irrelevant if it could save one person, however, many are confused about how the VCAT challenge will stop people from gambling given that it is so accessible already.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could explore a way to reduce the risk of local people falling prey to addiction of any kind given that we are confronted with these choices almost every day.
What can be done?
Can education play a role?
February 21st, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Kerry, you’re comments remind me of the way the US gun lobby present their backward logic arguments that ‘guns don’t kill people: people kill people.
To support that argument the need to ignore a lot of facts: Countries that don’t support a gun culture for its ordinary citizen have fewer gun related accidents, fewer deliberate shootings, & gun related murders.
Similarly with pokies: The jury is NOT out on the fact that ‘opportunity’ increases the economic costs and problems of gambling in a community. The gambling commission admitted that. Increase access to these machines and you add to the problem.
As for ‘education’ – it is NOT a panacea for all ills.
Do you think gamblers who gamble their wages away don’t know that it is self harming? Do you not think that they have an intimate knowledge of their own failings?
Do you think education will help a child who regularly goes to school without food because their parent spent the housekeeping?
This ignor-ance of research and knowledge of the hurtful effects of these gaming machines on individuals, families, and communities generally ignores the lessons of the gun lobby, and the tobacco lobby and ignores the independent research of gaming machines themselves: restrict access you also reduce the problem.
Your support of trebling of gaming machines in Castlemaine would suggest ”Allow the MHS to increase access to a known harmful activity, and then create a whole taxpayer funded industry to solve it!
We are actually a well-educated lot here in Castlemaine.
Loads of individuals here fully understand that old irrefutable maxim: Prevention is better than Cure.
(And see this article: http://www.castlemaineindependent.org/2010/09/encourage-gambling/ – Editor)
February 21st, 2012 at 5:31 pm
When an external organisation forces a harm-producing gambling den onto a community not of the origin of that organisation, of course it’s only natural for the host community to fight against it. Basic assumptions at work.
Spare a thought though for the 800 or so members of the MHS.
One million dollars of the members’ money will evaporate before one clod of dirt is stirred anywhere near the goods shed.
The mind boggles that for a town such as Maryborough, the big pokie joint that is the MHS is managing an expansion program.
The town’s scarce money is now leaving town at a very rapid rate. I imagine that 90% of the members are totally innocent of this.
While innocence may be some excuse, ignorance is not. Many members have possibly stuck their heads in the sand over this and just allowed the board to make all the decisions for them. It is, after all, a proud club with 150 years of solid Scottish tradition behind it and it could be considered heresy to question the board.
So it’s business as usual in Maryborough while large sections of both the Castlemaine and Kyneton communities reel and rally against the cashed up MHS board.
The Shire made the right decision.
February 22nd, 2012 at 9:41 am
For me there are two other things that are disturbing about this issue. First, a non-profit community based organisation in a neighbouring municipality has pulled out all stops to impose these unwelcome machines on our community. I say unwelcome because an unprecedented number of residents object and our duly elected council is opposed. I see in the Midland Express* this week that there are now some serious allegations relating to broken undertakings made to Macedon Ranges Shire in relation to the Kyneton pokies facility. Organisations like MHS are meant to be in the business of community building. Clearly that focus is confined exclusively to Maryborough and communities like Kyneton and Castlemaine don’t matter. To paraphrase the words of a feisty woman to Jim Hacker on the wonderful series ‘Yes Minister’ in relation to a planning issue, MHS’s name “will be manure”.
Second, and very importantly for those of us who believe our local council should be the main arbiter of what is good for the health and well-being of our community, the State Government, by allowing the Gambling Commission to overrule our Council have shown themselves to be no better at implementing good planning policy in this state than its predecessors. The Commission, instead of being a gatekeeper on behalf of local communities has actively herded these 65 machines through the gate, like a sheepdog for gambling’s vested interests. It is this corruption of the role of the tier of government that is closest to the people that I find so objectionable. What hope has the community of Mount Alexander Shire got to safeguard its economic, environmental and social well-being if our State Government is prepared to let developers and profiteers ride rough-shod over the duly made decisions of our local council? As a person with a high level of interest in local government this is reason enough to not let the decision go unchallenged.
* The news broke first on CI: http://www.castlemaineindependent.org/2012/02/kyneton-rally-mhs/
March 5th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Maybe a medical analogy is appropriate here.
I see the MHS actions as an attempt to inject our community with its cancer. The resistance is under siege from rogue cancerous cells (supporters of MHS) within, but with luck and assistance we may yet fight off this disease.
April 3rd, 2012 at 7:38 am
This from EPIC –
VCAT UPDATE
The VCAT directions hearing held today (2 April) before Senior Member Ian Proctor was positive, although no outcome was forthcoming. Council asked for the appeal against the MHS’s gaming permit be delayed and heard together with the (inevitable) planning appeal. This approach would seem to be an efficient and economical use of Council’s, VCAT’s and the MHS’s time and resources.
The MHS opposed this application and said that they want the gaming appeal heard separately. They argued that if they lose the gaming licence appeal, there will be no planning appeal and so the gaming appeal should be heard separately.
Senior Member Proctor has reserved his decision on delaying the gaming appeal, and we don’t know when the decision on this matter will be handed down.
A positive development in relation to EPIC’s joiner application is that it will be heard at a later date, which is the outcome we were hoping for. We’ll keep you posted on when this is likely to be, and on any further developments in the appeal.
(My take on these developments is that the board of the MHS have woken to their folly and are looking for a way out of the lease. A NO from VCAT regarding the gambling license issue by the Gambling Commission would be enough, I imagine, to escape the lease the MHS has with VicTrack.)