Reforms

I was sorry to see Julia Gillard fall on Australia Day – it’s strangely unsettling to see an adult stumble, and never more so than when it’s a person of power.

Cartoon: Bill Leak

To my mind, though, a far more significant fall happened earlier in the week.

I understand the pragmatism behind Ms Gillard’s decision to dump her pokies reform deal with Independent MP Andrew Wilkie. She didn’t have the numbers in parliament to get mandatory pre-commitment legislation passed.

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  • Laila says:

    04:47pm | 07/02/12

    ‘President’ Barlow,‘We might not win’You got that part right!If you look calefulry, you outlined almost every reason the ALP/Greens are currently on the nose. Only you want to enforce, in stronger terms, the very cause of the PopOp’s anger with the ALP/Green policy making, and, to emphasise your determined bravado,… Read more »

  • RyaN says:

    12:08pm | 30/01/12

    And clearly you know everything, I mean recommending that people join a party that is only influenced by unions, 99% of the leaders come from unions who previously fell out of university into the union heavyweight roles because of a relative and claiming that they will be acknowledged let alone… Read more »

 

Now our Melbourne Cup flutters are out of the way it is worth investigating how it became valid political logic that the healthy fabric of Australian life would be shredded without big-scale gambling.

One pokie palace so big it wants its own post code

Not on horses, but gambling on pokies. Not by once-a-year punters or leviathan professionals, by low-income earners who can suddenly find their rent has disappeared down the maw of a gaming machine.

The glorified role of pokies is a political creation and it is total rubbish.

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  • Jay says:

    09:34am | 07/11/11

    Let’s get a few facts straight. After 8 years of the disastrous Cain/Kirner Govt it was Labor that introduced the Pokies in Victoria.We had to sell of the State Bank, GIO,electricity, gas and water and slash nursing,police and teachers.Let’s not forget the Brumby Govts brilliant myki card debacle and let’s… Read more »

  • Pokie Madness says:

    04:24pm | 06/11/11

    To be honest if I could get pokies installed ANYWHERE to help raise revenue for a small local business I would. I live in a small rural town that gets little or no help from the local council much less the state of federal government.  This small town has an… Read more »

 

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