ClubsAustralia and AHA: you’re not GetUp.

11 Apr 2011

ClubsAustralia and the AHA want to apply pressure to the federal government not to pass legislation restricting access to gambling. They reckon there’s support for the madness that is gambling-funded “community activities” in this country, and have setup a GetUp!-esque “message your MP” form.

Instead, use their form to send the government the OPPOSITE message!

Here’s what I said (more or less editing their message to the reverse effect):

“I am writing to say that I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT the Government’s plan to introduce a licence to punt.

Problem gambling is an area of concern for the community and needs to be addressed by government.

A licence to punt on the pokies MAY drive problem gamblers to other forms of gambling, including online – where possible, it is, of course, important that these too are regulated appropriately – through funding community level support for problem gamblers, as well as domestic regulation (not Internet filtering). The clubs and pubs will be impacted by this legislation, of course, but the net benefit to the community stands to be tremendous.

Gambling destroys many families and imposes significant pressures on the financial security and emotional stability of individuals: within reason, this trumps the “privacy, rights and the importance of local clubs and pubs” that ClubsAustralia and the AHA so desire you to consider.”

There are other ways to contact your MPs, of course, but there’s something deeply satisfying about using tools provided by some of the largest industry lobbying groups in the country against their own purposes.