POKIES REFORM NEEDS PRIME MINISTER’S PRE-COMMITMENT
January 24, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Liberal Senator for the ACT, Gary Humphries has called on the Prime Minister to ensure no donations are received from clubs in the ACT following the announced $37.1 million dollar clubs compensation package.
The package announced at the weekend will be delivered to clubs across Canberra, many of which are either owned by, or maintain strong links to the Australian Labor party.
The Labor party received about $600,000 before the last federal election, and continue to receive substantial donations from a number of clubs across the ACT.
“This trial was only announced three days ago, and already I have some very serious concerns”, Senator Humphries said today.
“If clubs in the ACT continue to make donations to the Labor Party once they receive the compensation package, it completely undermines the integrity of any trial, and any shred of integrity that the ALP may have left”.
Senator Humphries says that the only way that the Prime Minister can absolutely rule out any tax-payers dollars winding up back in the Labor Party pocket is to rule out donations from ACT clubs.
“For what her word is now worth, the Prime Minister has to give assurances that not one single cent of the compensation finds its way back into the hands of the Labor party, and the easiest way for her to do that is to rule out any donations from ACT clubs”, Senator Humphries concluded.
24 January 2012
