When the Australian government thought it acceptable to ring fence the country’s Internet and band all gambling with the Darth Vader’s dark side brush they weren’t expecting the light sabers to come out in full force. I mean, what’s so bad about not allowing online gambling and putting limits on how much people can gamble on land during a day. Australia’s trying to discourage anything fun after all. Next, they’re planning to ban beer, before their coup de gras will be to ban any tourism.
Anyway, we’re procrastinating from the actual point. After attending a meeting with Country Club owners, Independent MPs Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon were branded “narrow-minded” and fanatics.
Tha gathering in Narrabri was to discuss the pre-commitment technology the government is planning to install at all pokie machine venues by 2014, much to the chagrin of many independent club owners across the country.
Narrabri RSL chief executive and Clubs NSW representative Paul Gordon is one of those angered by the plans as he believes the MPs involved are not prepared to negotiate
“I am left astounded that you both, as elected representatives of the people, can be so narrow-minded, stubborn and fanatics and indifferent towards the majority of Australians,” Mr Gordon said.
Mr Wilkie’s comments were as follows: “The amount of good clubs do is often grossly exaggerated by the industry. There is not nearly as much going back into the community as some of these clubs would have you believe. But the fact is they do do good and I don’t want to diminish that good.”
This was the first of these meetings so who knows what they’ll be branded in future get togethers?
