Return to gold standard policy is essential
October 13, 2026
Anglicare Tasmania and the Alliance for Gambling Reform have urged the Tasmanian Government to revert to its original, nation-leading commitment to poker machine harm minimisation at hearings in Hobart this week.
Anglicare Tasmania appeared at a session of the Legislative Council’s Short Inquiry into Recent Developments Relating to Government Policy on Poker Machine Harm Minimisation yesterday.
Coordinator of its Social Action and Research Centre Ginny Toombs said the mandatory pre-commitment card, originally committed to by the Tasmanian government in 2022, is the gold standard of policy reform:
Our research and frontline experience align closely with the recommendations of the government-commissioned Deloitte report. A mandatory pre-commitment card with default loss limits is the measure that would meaningfully minimise harm from poker machine gambling. Reducing harms caused by poker machine gambling will positively impact complex issues like domestic and family violence, poor mental health, crime rates, homelessness and poverty.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform is appearing at the hearing this morning. Advocate Mark Kempster maintained that alternative measures announced by the government in January this year are likely to increase harm:
Facial recognition has limited benefit because it does nothing to support people who don’t yet recognise they are harming themselves and their families. Locating new on-site ATMS close to the machines will only encourage impulse gambling and loss-chasing. And the evidence suggests that a Ticket In-Ticket Out system will increase people’s losses and introduce the risk of money laundering where it doesn’t currently exist.
Both the Alliance and Anglicare recommend that Gaming Care Officers should be employed by an entity that is independent of commercial gambling interests. They also call for the reinstatement of the mandatory statewide venue closure period of 2:00 am – 9:00 am. This was a welcome harm minimisation measure proposed by the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission before it was overturned by the Treasurer.
Mr Kempster and Ms Toombs urged the Tasmanian Government to re-adopt a targeted approach that prioritises public health.
“We’re calling on government to re-visit the recommendations of the Deloitte report and the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission, listen to people with lived experience of gambling harm and put the welfare of Tasmanians first,” they said.
Submissions have been published on the Parliament of Tasmania website:
