Parklands is the host of the Big Day Out music festival, which is likely to move interstate upon its closure in 2013. (Image courtesy of aeryxz)

The plea comes after the State Government revealed its ultimate vision for Parklands to be a Transit Oriented Development acting as a support centre for the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

The redevelopment will contain a low-cost, high-density housing proposal and will see the closure of Parklands in June 2013.

It may also be used to accommodate athletes if the Gold Coast wins the 2018 Commonwealth Games bid.

Parklands was originally zoned by The Queensland Government to be a Health and Knowledge Precinct to contain The Gold Coast University Hospital project, before it was realised that Griffith University and University Hospital project did not require the land.

LNP member for Gaven Dr Alex Douglas, who is supporting the petition, says the critical issue is the loss of a venue for communities who use Parklands.

“I think the aspects are multi-dimensional. The Show Society is losing its site, The Indoor Sports Centre, and The Harness Racing Club is having their whole club closed and no replacement of it,” he said.

“What people don’t know is besides these three main groups there’s literally thousands of groups who use the space.”

Dr Douglas is also concerned about the loss of The Big Day Out festival, which will be moved interstate upon the closure of Parklands.

“For the Gold Coast it is our biggest young-person event every year,” he said.

“It also drives tourism, it basically gets people in the habit of just being able to go to The Gold Coast and we’re going to lose all of that – the state will lose it.”

Contrary to the petition’s suggestions, spokesperson for the Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe ensures the development will boost employment and will not leave the Gold Coast Show without a site.

“The redevelopment of the State Government owned Parklands site as a vibrant office, retail and residential precinct could generate a total of up to 6380 jobs and an estimated $550 million per annum,” he said.

“The state government is currently investigating a number of options for an alternative showgrounds site on the Gold Coast. The leading option is at Carrara.”

Spokesperson for Save Parklands Action Group and Gold Coast Show board member Peter Johnston says the State Government has in fact offered this site to the Show Society an alternative, before it was determined unsuitable.

“The Gold Coast Show was offered 12 hectares of the Carrara Floodplain,” he said.

“12 hectares… is around about half the size of those required to conduct the activities currently being done at the Gold Coast Show.

“That tells me 104 years of Gold Coast Show history is now seriously in jeopardy.”

Plan for action

In addition to losing a venue, the communities based at Parklands are losing patience waiting for a proper answer on the State Government’s plans for the site.

In fear that the people of the Gold Coast have been sold out, Mr Johnston says everybody is being kept in the dark.

“The Government will not tell us why it is necessary for them to rip out this major infrastructure to put a village in for a commonwealth games that is going to last three weeks,” he said.

Mr Johnston says the government has alternative options and he is suspicious the move is about selling state assets.

“Parklands has an estimated value of between $75million and $100 million and it’s our understanding the state government is looking for partners to develop that land and sell it,” he said.

“The only commercial sense it makes in any way we look at it is the fact the state government are looking for funds.”

According to Dr Douglas, the state government owes keeping Parklands to the people of the Gold Coast.

“The reasons the show society agreed to move out was because if the hospital or the university needed the space for the knowledge precinct, and neither of them do,” he said.

“The government has no right to resume the title and they should withdraw.

“It does not belong to them and it is held in deed of trust for the benefit of the community that it serves.”

Despite the tension, Mr Hinchliffe’s spokesperson reiterates that there will eventually be a suitable site for the Gold Coast Show to resume operations.

“The Parklands site is state owned land,” he said.

“In 2007 the Government announced that the Parklands site would be transformed into the Gold Coast Hospital and Knowledge precinct… The Government announced on a number of occasions that as part of this process an alternative site for the Gold Coast Show would be identified.”

Queenslanders can have their say in the debate by signing the e-petition on the Queensland Parliament website.

It has been estimated the business deal will bring $40 million, more than 800 local jobs and even Steven Spielberg to the region.

Chair of the Economic Development Committee Councillor Susie Douglas said the local climate and facilities are what make the area such a great location to film.

“I think they see that the investment is in the weather,” she said.

“Good weather means that they can get their movies finished sooner.”

The Gold Coast is doing all it can to make a name as one of the best destinations for film makers, but it has come with a hefty price tag.

The Gold Coast City Council’s Investment Attraction program is the body responsible for bringing such lucrative business to the region.

In order to get the competitive edge, it has invited production companies to apply for funding anywhere up to $100 000.

Cr  Douglas believes this is a necessary move.

“We really go out of our way to entice them to use the Gold Coast as a destination,” she said.

Gold Coast’s Economic Development Committee is confident the booming industry will add something new to the region.

“We’ve had IT industries, surf industries, and now film industries,” Cr Douglas said.

She says this will provide much needed local jobs.

“In the past, we’ve found people come here for the film industry,” she said.

Gael McDonald, director at one of the Gold Coast’s leading talent agencies Williams Talent, says she is excited about the opportunities on offer for local actors.

“All the work happening in Queensland at the moment means there are some amazing opportunities for Queensland based actors … it’s great,” she said.

She said production companies are better off going with local talent.

“Budget wise, it’s in the production company’s best interest to get Queensland based actors – it will save them a lot of money,” she said.

Expert on the Queensland film industry Professor Bruce Molloy said the lure is not only great news for the local economy and jobs, but for people in the local film industry as well.

“This will give Aussies a chance in such a competitive field,” he said.

“It will also essentially mean bigger budgets for any local productions.”

Steven Spielberg’s $150 million Terra Nova, Australia’s first 3D movie Bait and the latest season of Sea Patrol are all set to be filmed on the Gold Coast in the coming months.

Under Queensland’s Criminal Code, abortion is unlawful unless it is performed to “preserve the woman from serious harm to her life or physical or mental health”.

Abortion rates "never going to be zero". Photo courtesy: David Jackmanson

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at James Cook University, Caroline de Costa said the laws occupied a grey area and were “out of date” and “out of step” with modern ideals.

“Abortion is an important health issue for women so there should be regulations within health law for the practice of abortion,” she said.

“It should not be criminalised. It should be just the same as mainstream medical practice.”

Health law expert Dr Ben White agrees.

“By moving abortion law away from the criminal model to a health model, a woman is able to obtain a termination as they are able to obtain other health services,” he said.

Dr White said current abortion laws in Queensland were contrary to other Australian jurisdictions which were increasingly moving away from criminal abortion.

“Queensland is one of the last remaining jurisdictions which still treates abortion as a criminal offence,” he said.

“The ACT regulates abortion as a health matter, like any other health issue.

“The model sets out a clear way in which abortion can be regulated outside the criminal sphere.”

Law reform opposition

But opponents of abortion law reform exist.

Brisbane obstetrician Dr Adrienne Freeman said placing abortion in health legislation would be a “double-edged sword”.

“I’m not in favour of changing anything because the change is the opportunity for a lot of restrictions to be imposed,” she said.

“You can’t do it here and you can’t do it there - this person can do it and that one can’t.

“It’s just a chance for more access block.”

Abortion alternatives

Dr Freeman said a solution could be found in education and contraceptive research.

“We have contraceptives, but we need more options -   especially for males,” she said.

“We also need more access to contraception.”

But Dr de Costa said the solutions would be temporary as abortion rates are “never going to be zero”.

Kathy Newnam, member of the Pro-Choice Action Collective agrees with Dr de Costa.

“Women have always needed abortion, women have always had abortion and they always will,” she said.

“Circumstances change and contraception does fail.”

Survey results

A survey released by non-profit sexual health organisation, Marie Stopes International found 75 per cent of GPs and women support the removal of abortion from Queensland’s Criminal Code.

Dr de Costa said she believed the authorities were aware of the views of the majority.

“I think that the police and the government know that this is what women want and need,” she said.

“But that doesn’t completely solve the problem because the law is still there, and there’s still uncertainty about it.

“It’s something that we need to work on and are working on.”

Abortion was repealed from the Crimes Act in the ACT in 2002.

In 2008, abortion was decriminalised in Victoria and guidelines were set for when abortion could take place.

Over 1,000 Red Frogs volunteers help around Australia during Schoolies Week. Photo courtesy: Red Frogs Chaplaincy Network.

As thousands of Year 12 students take their final exams and begin the countdown until Schoolies Week, Red Frogs volunteers are preparing to do more than distribute their lolly namesake – they could save teens’ lives.

Red Frogs Australia Chaplaincy Network (Red Frogs) founder and director Andy Gourley says he regularly hears stories of how his volunteers were in the right place at the right time.

“Last year there was a young girl who hit the grog too hard and basically overdosed and got alcohol poisoning,” Mr Gourley said.

“She stopped breathing and it was one of our team who was able to be there, resuscitate her and get the paramedics there.

“We often get parents who’ll write in and say ‘thank you, you took our daughter home when she was passed out on a beach, and I’d hate to think what could have happened if you guys weren’t there’.”

Humble beginnings

Red Frogs was founded in 1997, when Mr Gourley and his skateboarding crew were recruited by a Gold Coast hotel manager to provide support to students during Schoolies Week.

After buying a $10 box of Allen’s Frogs Alive Red Frogs to use as an icebreaker, students quickly dubbed them ‘the Red Frogs crew’ and the name stuck.

From these humble beginnings, the Brisbane-based chaplaincy network has since spread throughout Australia and overseas, with Red Frogs programs now operating in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.

This year 1,300 Red Frogs volunteers will provide Schoolies Week support to 70,000 students at 17 locations around Australia, cooking 45,000 pancakes and distributing six tones of Allen’s Red Frogs.

The volunteers walk students home at night, notify emergency services, refer schoolies to support agencies, provide live entertainment, cook pancake breakfasts and clean hotel rooms.

“It is Red Frogs Australia’s mission to safeguard the next generation by changing the atmosphere of a party or an event to provide a fun, yet safe, lifestyle alternative for young people,” Mr Gourley said.

Prevention

Mr Gourley likens the Red Frogs role to that of a “fence at the top of the cliff, instead of the ambulance at the bottom”.

“Often ambos will get there just in time or just after the time, so it’s about being that fence, that prevention, which is really important,” he said.

“Red Frogs is safeguarding future doctors, lawyers, CEOS, sporting personalities while they’re all 17 and haven’t grown a brain yet.

“It is real honour to be in that position to really look after dudes at one of the biggest binge drinking parties in Australia.”

‘It’s worth it’

Student Lia Convery, 21, volunteered with Red Frogs last year on Queensland’s Gold Coast and will do so again this year, because students “need someone looking out for them”.

“They’ve just finished school, the future’s uncertain and it’s the first time many friends have lived together for a week, which can end up messily,” she said.

“There’s so much build up and expectation for this one week that it creates this intense, high pressure environment.

“As a volunteer we’re just there for the students, hanging out with them and checking up on them.

“It’s not just handing out red frogs – volunteers literally save lives.”

Minister for Community Services and Housing and Minister for Women the Honourable Karen Struthers says up to 35,000 students are expected to descend upon the Gold Coast for the two-week long party.

“We can’t stop school leavers celebrating the end of Year 12 but we can make sure they are safe and local residents and businesses aren’t disrupted,” Ms Struthers said in a statement to the media.

“On the Gold Coast, the Department of Communities will again work with Crime Stoppers Queensland to coordinate about 250 local volunteers and manage Schoolies headquarters.”

Ms Struthers said this year the Surfers Paradise Chill Out Zone will operate with extended hours until 5.30am, with staff and volunteers providing services like band-aids, water bottles, and a place to sit down.

The RACQ will again provide ‘free2go’ buses, providing free public transport between the Surfers Paradise precinct and accommodation venues from Main Beach to Broadbeach.

Advice for schoolies

Mr Gourley says the best advice he can give to schoolies is to be themselves and look after their friends.

“In other words, if you don’t normally drink like a fish and sleep with everything that moves every weekend, don’t become that type of person at Schoolies Week,” Mr Gourley said.

“Be yourself – don’t get sucked into an artificial momentum where you think you have to become a binge drinker just to impress your mates, because you could be making one of the most devastating decisions of your lifetime.”

Mr Gourley also says schoolies should not be afraid to call emergency services.

“People think you’ve got to ring 000 when you’re almost dead, but ring 000 if you’re even unsure – better to be safe than sorry,” he said.

Tips for schoolies survival:

• Drink spiking is a big issue at schoolies, so never accept drinks from others or leave your drink unattended
• Take frozen meals with you so you can eat if you run out of money
• Drink more water
• Look after your mates, stay together and don’t let them walk home alone
• Red Frogs hotline number – 1300 557 123

Related Links:

Red Frogs Australia – schoolies tips and myths, information for parents and volunteers

Schoolies Queensland Government – when and where, safety tips, access and ID, getting around

The 7pm Project - segment on Schoolies Week and the Red Frogs crew

In a week-long tournament filled with tension and a tremendous atmosphere, Victoria and New South Wales dominated but Queensland snared some fantastic victories as well.

The standout victory for the home state was the outstanding effort by Jake Duffy to clinch the Under 13 Boys Singles Gold Medal.

Under 13 Boys champion Jake Duffy serving. Picture: Courtesy of Table Tennis Australia.

He caused the upset of the tournament in defeating number 1 seed Dominic Huang from Victoria in the semi final four sets to one, and followed that up in the final by conquering Daniel Zhou by the same margin.

Duffy said he was ecstatic to win the gold.

“It was a great experience because it was the first time I’d ever won a medal at nationals, and then to top it off it was the gold in the singles so it was an experience I will never forget,” he said.

Other especially gutsy performances were by Jenny Zhang in the Under 15 girls singles, and Naoya Yamamoto in the Under 18 boys.

Zhang’s valiant run came to an end in the quarter finals.

The highlight of her tournament was her defeat of the number 3 seed, when she rallied from three sets to love down to win 11-9 in the seventh set.

Yamamoto also competed strongly to finish fifth in the Order of Merit for the Under 18 boys.

Queensland Coach Ashleigh Stevenson lauded the team spirit displayed by the home squad.

“A big improvement I noticed this year was the way the Queensland team supported each other,” she said.

“If some team members weren’t playing, they were often sitting on the bench clapping for other Queenslanders, and it didn’t seem to matter if they were boys or girls or different age groups.”

Stevenson said the week was an intense one for her but well worth it.

“It does get stressful – I was typically doing 12 hour days, sometimes more,” she said.

“But the crowds really got into it this year, so on the finals day there was a good atmosphere.”

Tournament director Lukas Kozak was pleased with how the tournament ran.

“It was the most kids we’ve ever had at the nationals, and a lot of parents were there as well, so the atmosphere was pretty alive,” he said.

The tournament was divided into teams and individual events, with the teams running from Sunday to Thursday and the singles and doubles running on Friday and Saturday.

Under 18 Boys champion Heming Hu launches a backhand. Picture: Courtesy of the International Table Tennis Federation.

New South Wales won three of the teams events, with Victoria picking up two titles and New Zealand one.

The standout Queensland team was the Under 18 girls, who snared a bronze medal behind the heavyweights New Zealand and Victoria.

It was Victoria who dominated the singles, providing four out of the six individual winners.

The other titles were won by Duffy and South Australian Vy Bui, who upset number 1 seed Lily Phan in the under 15 girls.

Under 18 girls winner Anna Du was crowned the junior player of the year.

For a full list of teams, singles, and doubles results, go to http://www.tabletennis.org.au/.

Under the new laws students will pay up to $250 for university services such as counselling, financial help and sport.

Vice Chancellor of James Cook University Sandra Harding said across Australia universities wanted the services fee.

“I ‘m not aware of any university that wouldn’t be supportive of this legislation,” she said.

The NUS has said a student levy would stop universities cutting into learning expenses. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

“In fact Universities Australia, which speaks for most of us, has applauded the legislation.”

National Union of Students Education Officer James Butchers said tertiary schools were struggling without the funds.

“What you see is the university being forced to take money out of teaching and learning to prop up student organisations,” he said.

Mr Butchers said students were not considered when the fees were removed in 2005.

“At the end of the day while the politicians were bickering vital services disappeared and students were much worse off for it,” he said.

Big student ‘tax’

“These changes will hit poor university attendees the hardest,” she said.

“It is not the student that works three part time jobs to get through uni that has the time to laze around and drink subsidised beer on campus.

“Similarly, a single mother studying a nursing degree should not be paying for the activities of a university ski club.”

Miss Uher also said the funding would mostly support unions who do not need the money.

“Student unions push a political agenda before the needs of actual students” she said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is using the new dynamic of the 43rd Parliament to revert the changes to student services made by the Howard Government. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

“With the Labor Party now being led by former Australian Union of Students’ President Julia Gillard it is not surprising that they are yet again legislating for their own tribe.”

Rural students worst off

But Mr Butchers said rural universities had been particularly disadvantaged in the last five years.

“When you have young people in country areas seven times less likely to attend tertiary schooling that’s very disappointing,” he said.

Central Queensland University spokesman Marc Barnbaum said the money will help services regional students rely on.

“One of our core principles is supporting the student journey,” he said.

“We don’t just let students flounder on their own we make sure they’ve got someone to turn to and help them along the way.”

Cyclists are responsible for less than half the crashes involving motorists. Source: Kayla Brereton.

Queensland motorists will have to stop blaming cyclists for their crashes.

A new study providing the first real insight into bicycle crashes has found motorists are largely at fault.

The extensive study by The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety (Carrs-Q), found motorists are to blame for over half the accidents involving bicycles.

Carrs-Q looked at more than 6000 bicycle crashes reported to police between January 2000 and December 2008.

They found cyclists were only responsible for 44 per cent.

Carrs-Q Senior Researcher Amy Schramm said lack of due care from both cyclists and motorists cause the accidents.

“Both riders and drivers need to be more understanding and accommodating,” she said.

“Cyclists need to be aware of the impact they’re having on car drivers and need to be aware of the impact that they can have on cyclists.”

Mrs Schramm said most accidents occurred because drivers failed to look out for cyclists and have been taught to only watch out for cars.

“If you are only looking for cars then more often than not you will only see cars,” she said.

“Whereas if you are looking for motorbikes, cyclists and pedestrians then you are more likely to see them if they’re there.”

However, when cyclists were responsible for the crashes, it was mainly because riders knowingly took risks.

Earlier this year, Queensland Transport found many cyclists avoided road rules and chose not to wear a helmet.

Road Rage

Aami Insurance Spokesman Mike Sopinski said motorists’ constant anger towards cyclists is a major concern.

“The interaction between cars and bicycles continues to be a source of conflict for riders and drivers alike,” he said.

Mr Sopinski said a recent study by Aami Insurance, which also looked into bicycle crashes, found motorists were also largely to blame.

“Many of the responses we received highlight that motorists tend to see cyclists as a nuisance and are not always willing to share the road,” he said.

“This attitude causes many accidents for motorists and cyclists.”

Cycling Boom

Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Campbell Newman recently dropped speed limits within the CBD to protect cyclists and pedestrians.

Mr Campbell told Brisbane Times the council is considering reducing speed limits again to make the CBD more pedestrian friendly.

“We don’t want our CBD to be a place where people roar through in their cars.’’

‘‘Ultimately, like with other world CBDs, the Brisbane CBD has to be particularly about the dominance of pedestrians and cyclists,’’ he said.

With Brisbane’s CityCycle scheme just launched, the CBD now has 2,000 more bikes.

With Brisbane experiencing a cycling boom, experts are urging motorists to slow down and pay attention.

Construction for the Armor All Gold Coast 600 is underway. Source: Kayla Brereton

The set-up for next month’s V8 Supercar race on the Gold Coast has just begun and despite last year’s drama, organisers are staying positive.

Organisers have taken a new approach this year, after spectator numbers dropped when international cars pulled out a week before last year’s race.

The newly-named Armor All Gold Coast 600 is set to be a hit, with a three-night music festival joining the motoring spectacular.

Cole Hitchcock from V8 Supercars Australia said the race has generated a positive response.

“The response this year has been really positive,” he said.

“We are going through a re-building stage after the issues from last year, particularly with the collapse of the A1 grand prix.”

“But we have started turning things around; the Queensland government have commissioned us to take the race back to its glory days.”

However, Daniel Gschwind, CEO of Tourism Council Queensland said last year’s drama has caused some damage.

“The drama last year was certainly not something that was welcomed by anybody,” he said.

“It was most unfortunate the way things developed. It’s never a good thing and has obviously done some damage to their reputation.”

The New Approach

Mr Gschwind says V8 Supercars’ new domestic approach, which focuses on the Australian market, is the reason they are back on track.

“I think this year is much more focused on the cars rather than the international race format that we have had in the past,” he said.

“This new approach will give better opportunities to promote the domestic market.”

With a domestically-focused approach, the event is likely to see more Gold Coast residents and families attend.

Rebecca Frizelle from the event’s major sponsor Audi, says the race now appeals to the entire community.

“You will see a lot of local people going. The Gold Coast needs an event that appeals to the entire community and this one does,” she said.

“They are building it so there is something for everyone including families, couples and individuals.”

The Armor Gold Coast 600 is expected to be viewed on television by millions of people around the world.

It is also expected to attract more than 200 thousand fans over the three days (October 22 – October 24, 2010), with tickets available online.

Gracing television networks on a weekly basis, superstars Dave Hughes, Wil Anderson, and Jimeoin were among the many familiar celebrity Australian comics to get attuned audiences interested.

What no one expected was the sellout crowd for relative unknown Australian standup comedian Steve Allison.

As he walks on stage with a friendly, casual approach he commands attention and the constant, thunderous roll of laughter shows he’s got it.

After a week in Papua New Guinea, Allison is bursting with energy, pumped for his first show back on Australian shores.

In the beginning

As an only child Allison was born into show business, his parents The Allisons were Australia’s top sight act for over 30 years.

“I grew up on P&O cruises,” he said.

“As a kid I would be standing with the comedians holding me off stage…they’d be talking to me going ‘don’t tell your mum I told you this joke’.”

It wasn’t unusual for Ugly Dave Grey, Bunny Gibson or Graham Kennedy to be floating around the house with J.A.K singing songs in the corner.

“I had a guy named Col Elliot and John Garfields, an old comic legend, teaching me from day one,” he said.

“They were mum and dad’s best friends.”

Thus Allison’s steady accumulation of rotten jokes would immediately unravel at the school yard.

“I learnt the power of comedy early,” the 43-year-old said.

A self-confessed skinny little redhead, Allison knew that as a kid at school it was easier to make them laugh than fight them.

“I’d have six guys standing in front me saying ‘leave the redhead alone…he’s funny’,” he said.

Allison’s friend and supporting act, Mad Mike Bennett, describes Allison as an icon.

“Looking at Steve and the family he came from…that’s experience straight up and it’s not easy to emulate,” he said.

“He’s an inspiration, just knowing him and watching him work…you know he’s hitting 90 to 100 per cent all the time; it’s just laughs, laughs, laughs.”

Soaring to success

Holding a reputation of ‘never dying in a comedy club’; Allison places his success in his ability to adapt to an audience.

“I try to write things that will last the test of time,” he said.

“When I’m 60 I’ll still do: I was the first man at the birth of my children…”

Facing restraints of new-age comedy, Allison found himself constantly changing his entire comic style.

“Corporate scenes where it’s black tie and black suits would often go as far as no swearing, no racist jokes, no sexism and no homophobic stuff because one of the bosses is gay,” he said.

“It’s really difficult to change as you go through but it’s what you have to deal with.”

As a supporting act, Bennett said the pressure is on to step up to the mark with Allison headlining.

“Coming through the ranks and learning from your peers is really important and a lot of comics forget that it is a team sport,” he said.

“Steve’s a comic that won’t put you down…he’s a surfer of comedy and a surfer of the ocean – he makes us make the wave and he rides it at the end; and he’s brilliant at it.”

A fork in the road

Entering the Melbourne stand-up comedy circuit Allison worked alongside Dave Hughes but said the difference between a TV career and stand-up came when he realised he didn’t want to sell his family out for money.

“I don’t need the constant fame hit,” he said.

“It’s a lifestyle choice.

“I’m making a living at my home in Currumbin near the beach…I’m watching my son play football and I’ll be doing it again tomorrow.”

Not resisting the temptation for a new joke, Allison turned misfortune on its head by pulling open his shirt to reveal the deep scar running down the centre of his chest.

Only a year after triple bypass surgery following three separate heartaches, Allison can’t help but see the lighter side.

“Even with my heart attack it’s just something else to talk about,” he said.

“When I meet the maker and he says ‘why do you deserve to get in here?’ I can say ‘because I made a lot of people laugh’.”

A national principle of responsible gambling declared in 2009 that children should not be exposed to gambling within gambling venues has had little success. Photo courtesy of Jayne Andd

An anti-gambling advocate says children who are frequently exposed to gambling venues and pokie machines are more likely to become problem gamblers later in life.

The proposal to build a soundproof children’s play area within view of poker machines in the Pink Hill Hotel in Melbourne has sparked fresh debate around the ‘normalisation’ of gambling in Australia.

Paul Bendat, anti-gambling advocate and founder of PokieAct.org, says children are “lured” into pubs and normalised to the sights and sounds of gambling culture.

“[This] will lead to a greater prevalence of problem gambling,” he says.

Judgements like the Pink Hill Hotel decision “are a massive, massive mistake.”

‘Water-tight’ legislation

The 1999 Productivity Commission’s report National Approach to Problem Gambling showed around 290,000 Australians are problem gamblers.

Mr Bendat says this number will increase without “perspective legislation” to control gambling practices throughout Australia and greater restrictions on children’s exposure to gambling.

He says a national principle of responsible gambling,  declared in July 2009, that children should not be exposed to gambling within gambling venues has had little success.

“Unless there is a specific type of legislation in a water-tight way saying, ‘you will do this’ – [gambling venues] don’t do it,” he says.

It is a legislative requirement for venues such as casinos to not permit children on the premises, except for restricted dining areas and accommodation.

Michelle Pillonel, Treasury Casinos’ Corporate Affairs Manager for South East Queensland says the Treasury Casino child play areas or child minding was “not on the agenda”.

“We don’t enter into that at all – we’re strictly 18-plus,” she says.

The Queensland Gaming Commission and Clubs Queensland were unavailable for comment.

Children ‘dumped’?

The designer of the Pink Hill Hotel, Mr David Gordon, wanted gamblers to be able to keep watch of their machines and children at all times.

However, Mr Bendat says there remains concerns about the welfare and supervision of children “dumped” in child play areas within gambling venues.

He says parents often do not actively supervise their children when gambling.

A card-dealer at the Treasury Casino says he frequently sees problem gamblers and has concerns about children exposed to gambling and possible child neglect.

“ [On-premise child play areas are] a pretty bad idea because it’s allowing people to be irresponsible by gambling instead of taking care of their children,” he says.

Related Links:

Productivity Commission – National Approach to Problem Gambling Report 1999

Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulations (VCGR)  – Decision for Pink Hill Hotel application

Paul Bendant, PokieAct.org – Make Pokie Places Kid Free

Gambling Help – Helpline and Advice

Gamblers Anonymous – Recovering from Addiction