MEDIA RELEASE

NICK XENOPHON M.L.C.

INDEPENDENT NO POKIES MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL  

23rd February 2004

COURTS TO HAVE POWER TO ORDER INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR GAMBLING RELATED CRIMES

No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon has succeeded in getting Government and opposition support to amend Legislation to allow for Courts to order specific intervention programs for gambling related crimes.

Independent research has shown that gambling related crime is the second largest cause of fraud in Australia , and almost 60% of pathological gamblers have admitted committing a criminal offence to feed their gambling addiction.

The Legislation just passed in Parliament the Statutes Amendment (Intervention Programs and Sentencing Procedures) Bill now specifies that problem gamblers can be the subject of an intervention program, which can include supervised treatment and rehabilitation.

Mr Xenophon says:

“Whilst its obviously much better to have a fence at the top of the cliff rather than the best equipped ambulance at its base, this amendment at least acknowledges the overwhelming link between gambling addiction and crime”.

Mr Xenophon said his next step was to move for victims of gambling related crimes to receive compensation.

“When a Government is raking in $275,000,000.00 a year it can well afford to set up a statutory fund to assist the many victims who have been defrauded, embezzled or robbed because of State Sanction pokies addiction”.

Written and authorised by Nick Xenophon, 653 Lower North East Road, Paradise, SA 5075