Tuesday, 30 May 2023

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:01): Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit the Glenroy RSL with my colleague the Shadow Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Danny O’Brien MP to congratulate sub-branch president Ken White on winning his battle with the state government over pokies entitlements. As I have mentioned before in this chamber, this saga began with the rejection of Glenroy RSL’s application of gaming licences by Moreland City Council. What then ensued was an endless back and forth between the RSL, VCAT and the Supreme Court. We saw the council’s position upheld; however, the Andrews Labor government continued to demand the RSL pay half a million for pokies entitlements they could not even use. It was not only the Glenroy RSL facing this dilemma but also the Altona, Darebin and Pascoe Vale RSLs, with a total liability of more than $2 million.

As a result of tireless campaigning, which I have been proud to support, the Andrews Labor government was forced to backflip and allow RSLs to surrender these licences and have their debts withdrawn. I am pleased to see this result, and it did not come easy. During our chat with Ken he highlighted the deep personal toll this has taken, which has cost the RSL $300,000 in legal fees. Unfortunately, during this time no-one from Labor had responded to him, and all the pleas to MPs and the minister simply fell on deaf ears. It took a Liberal MP that cares about the Glenroy RSL community to call out this unfair cash grab and force the government to reverse their stubborn decision.