STING IN HUB TAIL
ABOUT 30 Gold Coast RSLs, surf clubs and pubs will go under if a second gaming resort is built unless they can “diversify” income to protect community grants, Clubs Queensland claims.
Clubs Queensland’s Laura Bos said on average each of its member venues with pokies pumped $770,000 back into schools, community and sports groups.
CLUBS Queensland fears 30 Gold Coast RSLs, surf clubs and pubs will go under if a second gaming resort is built and wants to “diversify” income to protect community grants.
Clubs Queensland spokeswoman Laura Bos said on average each of its member venues with pokies pumped $770,000 back into schools, community and sports groups.
Ms Bos said the organisation was working closely on a plan for protecting clubs with Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones who three weeks ago called for interest in developing a Global Tourism Hub (GTH) on the Gold Coast.
Ms Bos has said it is inevitable any GTH will have an associated gaming licence.
“We know if a second gaming resort goes ahead that immediately 30 clubs will be in trouble.
“You look at $770,000 per annum by 30 clubs and you start seeing a significant amount of community funding going away,” Ms Bos said.
“We as an industry were given the right to have gaming machine licences with a view to putting things back into the community. It’s a total social enterprise.
“Where are you going to go find that money we put back into the community?”
Across Queensland, clubs with pokies including RSLs and surf clubs pump about $850m annually back into veterans services, sports and community groups plus lifesaving equipment.
Ms Bos said Clubs Queensland had been assured by Ms Jones their viability was “top of her mind”.
“We have a commitment from Kate Jones that she will work with Clubs Queensland around getting the best outcome during this process.
“We certainly appreciate that. We want to be involved because the clubs are heavily impacted and Ms Jones has assured us she wants to preserve clubs. She wants to work with us.”
Ms Bos revealed: “We are looking at options for clubs in terms of diversification. How we do it is up for discussion.”
Ms Jones said: “Given it’s going to be around five years before anything is built as part of a Global Tourism Hub, we have time to get this right. We’ll work closely with pubs and clubs.
“So far, the government has only just opened the register of interest to find a preferred proponent.
“Along with thorough community consultation, the expressions of interest process will take until the end of the year.”
Ms Jones has promised no net increase in Gold Coast pokies for a GTH but the number of approved machines for pubs and clubs jumped 90 from August last year to January. Machine licences can be onsold prompting Gold Coast MP David Crisafulli to call it pokie increases “via stealth”.