This is an interesting story appearing in The Australian….
“THE rural township of Romsey is a pretty, quiet and gentle place,” observed Kevin Bell, president of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, as he ruled that the town’s only hotel should not be allowed to install poker machines.
Quiet it might have been, but not in the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s decision.
As Macedon Ranges Shire Mayor John Letchford and his supporters celebrated a decision hailed as a landmark in the fight against pokies, drinkers emerged to vent their anger, accusing the shire of depriving them of freedom of choice.
Standing on the hotel veranda, Rex Creed, a committee member of most sports clubs in the town over the years, demanded to know how pokies differed from the 15 TAB screens in the pub, why Romsey should be different from neighbouring towns that had pokies, and who would now provide the stimulus that might have flowed from publican Jim Hogan’s plans for a major renovation to go with 30 machines.
In heated scenes, Mr Letchford, a police sergeant, replied that poker machines took away people’s “hopes and prayers”, said most people in the town were opposed to the machines – although a plebescite taken several years ago remains a subject of controversy – and said the shire’s victory was being applauded nationwide.
Ending five years of legal battles, Judge Bell said that under amended Victorian gambling legislation giving residents a direct say on gaming machines, approval for new gaming premises or more machines could only be given if the net economic and social impact was not deemed detrimental to the wellbeing of the municipal community.
He said that in three surveys in 2005 and last year, a “substantial part” of the community, 65km north of Melbourne, had expressed strong opposition to poker machines and, although the machines would probably have a slightly positive economic impact, the likely social impact would be strongly negative.
Senator Nick Xenophon, who previously stood in the South Australian parliament for the No Pokies Party, said the decision was a victory for people power.