GAMBLING REGULATION AMENDMENT (LICENSING) BILL 2011

I rise to speak on the Gambling Regulation Amendment (Licensing) Bill 2011.

This bill delivers on a series of election commitments around gaming, and it will allow the Victorian gambling industry to undergo significant changes next year. From 16 August 2012 there will be a new venue operator model for the Victorian gaming industry. The main purpose of this change will be to allow operators to have control over their operations, but more importantly it will ensure accountability and the highest integrity when it comes to gambling operations. This is a key point, and it is certainly something that has been neglected over the long period of 11 years under the former government. With the series of legislation we are looking to pass here, we are looking to restore integrity when it comes to gaming in Victoria. I will elaborate on that a little later.

Some of the key points the bill addresses include banning lobbyists from licensed gambling processes and ensuring swift action when it comes to raffles being conducted in the public interest.

It will also allow the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation to be given the power to suspend the registration of bookmakers and their key employees if they are charged with a serious offence. I will elaborate on that a little further on. We will also ensure that red tape is cut, with the abolition of unnecessary supervision of lottery draws conducted by a computerised random number generator. I will address a little later the difference between a computerised system and a system of the drawing of numbers by an individual. They are very different, and we should ensure there is a different process for each of them. The government is also moving to further facilitate preparations for the post-2012 gambling licence environment to ensure there is a stable platform, a consistent way forward and transparency when it comes to gambling and licensing in Victoria.

I want to comment on a couple of points that the member for Mill Park made in her contribution. One was that this bill is a little too late. In making her point she used a great pun -- the horse has bolted. She pointed out that a lot of pokie licences have been granted and it is too late for us to do anything about it now. Firstly, the member failed to point out that the licences were negotiated under the former Labor government. There has been $3 billion of poor negotiation, the cost of which unfortunately Victorian taxpayers will have to wear every day. That money, as we know, could be spent on roads, health, transport and a number of different things, but unfortunately there has been poor negotiation under the previous government.

The other thing I wanted to point out is that it is never too late when it comes to good legislation and good policy. We are here to rectify the problems created by the previous government. We will act now to ensure that the problems we have had in the past are not problems we will continue to have in the future.

Another point that the member for Mill Park made was that under proposed section 3.8.11 it is an offence to insult the minister when it comes to this legislation. On behalf of members on this side of the house I point out that the minister does not have a glass jaw and is no shrinking violet, as we all know. He has stood up loud and proud for Victorians on many occasions, and certainly on occasions relating to gambling and the failure of the previous government to act. The minister has been horrified, like all of us, by the $3 billion that was wasted by the previous government.

The provision in the legislation that the member for Mill Park was talking about is section 10.5.15 of the existing act which relates to the protection of officers who are doing their job under the delegation of the Minister for Gaming. We all know that the minister will not be going out and inspecting these facilities; that is not the job of the minister. The minister, by delegation, will have inspectors doing this for him. I am sure members of the opposition would agree that we need to ensure that those officers are protected and able to go out there and do their job without being verbally abused. That is what this bill is about and it is poor form on the part of the opposition to take a cheap shot when this bill is seeking to provide protection for those who are doing what they need to do -- that is, enforce the law.

I move on to consider an important part of this legislation, which is the banning of lobbyists. I want to spend a little bit of time on this subject because I think it goes to the crux of the bill.

Professional third-party lobbyists will be banned from involvement in gaming licensing processes. This means that third-party lobbyists engaged in licence applications will be banned from contacting a government representative for the purpose of influencing a licensing decision. This change is needed to better protect the integrity and probity of the processes of awarding and amending Victoria's lucrative gaming licences. We saw serious probity breaches in relation to these processes when they were under the stewardship of the former Labor government.

Just wait, because I have some more for you. There was the involvement of lobbyists and a former Labor gaming minister, David White, from Labor-aligned lobbying firm Hawker Britton in the process of awarding lucrative lottery licences.

I would like to elaborate because I think this is very important; as I said, it goes to the crux of the bill. The independent Gambling and Lotteries Licence Review Panel, chaired by Ron Merkel, QC -- --

Mr Merkel said it was clear that at an early stage of the licensing process Hawker Britton was given preferred access to a licensing process document by someone in the minister's office -- someone in the former Labor minister's office; someone from the Labor government -- in the previous negotiation of these contracts. This was the Labor Party at work: a culture of backroom deals providing preferred access to their Labor mates. It was what has been called many times 'a Labor raffle'. It is the responsibility of the government to manage gambling licences and lucrative assets on behalf of the people of Victoria. That is what we are here for, that is what we have been elected to do, and that is what we will continue to do.

The Gambling and Lotteries Licence Review Panel recommended that lobbyists be banned from licensing processes. The panel further stated that future probity requirements for lottery and gaming licences should prohibit lobbying activities in respect of the process once it commences. Lobbying activities are atypical to the integrity of the licensing process. It is clear that Labor has failed and that is why it is so important that we bring this legislation into the house to ban lobbyists from these processes and that we let clear and transparent processes take shape to ensure we get the best value for all Victorians. These are public deals and negotiations for the public benefit and that is what we are here to do.

I want to briefly talk about a couple of other important issues. One relates to the suspension of bookmakers and key employees. This bill will ensure that regulations relating to bookmakers and key employees are brought into line with those relating to all other gambling licences, particularly the treatment of circumstances such as criminal activity.

This unfolded last year when a high-profile Victorian bookmaker was continuing to trade while charged with serious offences relating to money laundering. We cannot allow this to happen. The Minister for Racing stepped in and sought advice from the racing integrity commissioner, which is why we have the bill before the house. This bill is important and long overdue; we introduced it as soon we could. I commend the bill to the house.