Leaders fight over donors
PREMIER Will Hodgman has lashed Labor Leader Rebecca White for accepting money from the hospitality industry while opposing poker machines in pubs and clubs.
The state Labor leader attended an ALP fundraising dinner hosted by hospitality company ALH in Melbourne on July 4 last year, five months before Labor announced a policy to restrict poker machines to the state’s two casinos.
Ms White countered that the revelation was a demonstration her party could not be bought by special interests.
Mr Hodgman, who supports the retention of poker machines in pubs and clubs, said Ms White was willing to accept support from hospitality companies but would not stand up for the interests of the industry or its workers.
“Rebecca White goes interstate, takes money under the table from gambling giants then comes back here and pays out on anyone who’s involved in the game,” he said.
“That shows that you can’t trust Labor. You don’t know what they stand for, you don’t know what you’ll get.”
Mr Hodgman said he was unable to say how much money the Liberal Party had accepted from poker machine interests but the party would comply with the laws relating to disclosures.
“It’s important that politicians are removed from their parties receiving donations so that there can be no perception of any issue influencing policy decisions,” he said.
Treasurer Peter Gutwein described Ms White as being like “a vegetarian owning a butcher shop”.
“On the one hand they rail against that particular industry, on the other hand they’re prepared to profit from it,” he said.
Shadow Treasurer Scott Bacon said the Premier had confirmed he had been “bought and corrupted by the poker machine industry”.
Ms White said the affair showed her party’s policy positions were not for sale.
“I think it’s very clear for Tasmanians to see that the pokies lobby does not buy influence in the Labor Party,” she said. “Our policy position is very clearly putting the welfare of our community first.
“We’ve taken a decision that pokies should be rolled back to the casino and no longer be provided in pubs and clubs by 2023.
“What Will Hodgman and the Liberals need to answer is whether or not donations made to them have brought influence in the Liberal Party.
“Just today Will Hodgman asserted that when people make a donation to a political party, they expect a particular outcome.”