Thursday, 22 August, 2024
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Are you ready, kids? The staff and students at Devon Meadows Primary School pulled out all the stops for Book Week. With a range of costumes from all genres, the kids were beaming and the teachers joined in the fun too. More pictures page 10
SpongeBob SquarePants made an appearance through Devon Meadows Primary School student Cooper. 422158_06
‘All bets are off’ By Ethan Benedicto The need for a fine line is a must for Tooradin and District Sports Club, as a newly endorsed policy by Casey Council could impact the club’s continued operation beyond its current lease. Casey’s most recent Gambling Harm Minimisation Policy, which looks to curb the local impact of gambling harm will effectively deem the sports club inoperable after its lease ends in 2028 unless there are no electronic gaming machines (EGM) on-site. According to Casey’s chair of administrators Noelene Duff PSM, the policy states that the council “will not support any new EGM-operating venues or organisations on council-owned or managed land”. Nor will they renew existing EGM-operating venues or organisation leases on council-owned or managed land. “The Tooradin and District Sports Club has a current, long-term lease agreement with council
which will be honoured to its conclusion,” Ms Duff said. Tooradin Ward council candidate, Anthony Tassone posted a video on Facebook recently calling for further conversations with the City of Casey, citing from the 16 July agenda that the new policy would impact the club’s “not-for-profit support of the local community”. The City of Casey consistently ranks second in gambling losses amongst other Victorian LGAs, only behind the City of Brimbank; in the financial year of 2022/2023, Casey saw a record $159 million in player losses from EGMs alone, which exceeded the previous high of $139 million before the pandemic. After the policy’s endorsement during the 20 July meeting, and corroborating Ms Duff’s statement, all administrators endorsed the policy’s cessation of support for new EGM-operating venues on council land, which the Toordin District and Sports Club happens to be. Vice president of the sports club and former
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mayor of Casey, Colin Butler, said that if the club were to be closed down, their yearly community benefits of $360,000 would no longer continue. “We pride this [place] on being a family club, I know we have [EGMs] down there but that’s still a legitimate form of entertainment. “We keep our prices down, we support all the major sporting clubs around here, and not just Tooradin but surrounding areas as well. “Kindergartens, schools – at the moment we’ve got an agricultural society convening in here, we’ve got three equestrians, two Lions clubs meeting here; they all meet for free,” Mr Butler said. Tooradin Sports Club supports local sports avenues, including Tooradin Football Club, Netball Club, Tennis Club, Cricket Club and more. The council emphasised the importance of its position on health prioritisation when it comes to gambling harm, however proper local collaboration was needed according to Mr Tassone. In a letter to Star News, he elaborated that
“governments at any level, including the local government at Casey get the best outcomes for those they serve when they consult with and listen to their community”. “I call on the City of Casey to pause, consult and listen to the local community before making a decision on this important issue,” he said. The policy outlines that the council’s stance on the matter is that all forms of gambling and associated arms are a public health issue “of significant and growing concern” due to the “countless ways” harm is experienced both directly and indirectly. It also adds that the 13 EGM gaming venues across the municipality are unevenly distributed within lower socioeconomic communities, with five of the 13 in Cranbourne and smaller clusters in Hallam and Hampton Park. Ms Duff emphasised that the policy is about “broader community harms that result from gambling activities in the municipality, which includes direct harm to the gamblers themselves”. Continued page 9
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