By ALESHA CAPONE
BRIMBANK City Council has launched an attempt to cut back on the impact of gambling within highly-disadvantaged communities.
Last Tuesday, the council’s administrators John Watson and Jane Nathan voted in favour of adopting a new planning scheme amendment after a period of public consultation.
The scheme recommends new pokies machines and venues should not be located in suburban activity centres or within 400 metres of Brimbank’s train stations.
The amendment also discourages increasing or relocating gaming machines in areas of high socio-economic disadvantage.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the southern area of St Albans is the most-disadvantaged suburb in the municipality – and eighth highest in the state.
The northern part of St Albans is ranked ninth on Victoria’s most disadvantaged list, with Kings Park, Sunshine North and Sunshine West also included in the top 20 most poorest areas.
Figures from the Victoria Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation show more than $137 million was lost by players on Brimbank’s pokies machines during 2012-’13, the highest rate out of all Victorian municipalities.
Brimbank also has more than 945 pokies machines, the third-highest amount in the state behind the cities of Greater Geelong and Monash.
Although Brimbank’s new stance on pokies venues is tough, VCAT will still possess the ultimate power to decide whether new pokies will be allowed within the area.
The new amendment states Brimbank is located in a partially capped gaming region, but has a high density of gaming machines and a higher- -than-state average level of gambling expenditure.
“While the Gambling Policy and Action Plan recognises the allowable uses of electronic gambling, we have to balance this against the need to also ensure the health and wellbeing of the community – and this amendment to the Planning Scheme will put the council in a better position to achieve this,” Mr Watson said.
