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Battling club wants a sporting chance from the major parties - 17 November  
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POKIES FREE SPORTS AND COMMUNITY CLUB SEES RED OVER A POKIES CLUB BEING PROMISED $1 MILLION FROM BOTH LIBERAL AND LABOR – WHILE IT STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE

  • The strong anti pokies statements of Kevin Rudd and Peter Costello are contradicted by their own candidates’ actions.

 

The Mitchell Park Sports and Community Club says the pledge by the Liberal and Labor candidates for Boothby for a $1 million grant to the Marion Sports and Community Club, which has 40 poker machines, is “nothing short of a disgrace.”

 

The Mitchell Park club, which has 6 different sporting and community groups under its umbrella with over 500 participants, is pokies free because of its concerns over the social impact of the machines.

The Marion club, on Sturt Road at Marion has 40 machines and based on average statewide pokies losses for a club of that size would have upwards of $2 million being lost on the machines annually, with revenue stream over half of that.

A report in the latest Guardian Messenger headed ‘MP miffed by ALP pledge’ states:

‘LABOR has committed $1 million towards the redevelopment of the Marion Sports and Community Club, which includes new change rooms, cricket nets, two cricket pitches, lighting and a new dining area.

 

Shadow Health Minister Nicola Roxon and Labor’s Boothby candidate Nicole Cornes made the

announcement at the club last Thursday (November 8).

 

Boothby MP Andrew Southcott (Liberal) said the ALP had taken his idea.

 

He said he had been working with the club since May and they had made an application for a $1 million Regional Partnerships funding grant.’

Independent No Pokies Senate Candidate Nick Xenophon, who was contacted by the Mitchell Park Club yesterday, said the funding pledge for the Marion club “flies in the face of statements by Kevin Rudd and Peter Costello on the blight of pokies on society. Having the Liberal and Labor candidates for Boothby squabbling over who should take credit for the $1 million pledge is an insult to sporting and community clubs who won’t have a bar of pokies because of their impact on struggling families.”

 

Mr Xenophon also called on the major parties to reverse the pledge and instead promise the

$1 million to be spread fairly to pokies free clubs in the Boothby electorate.

 

 

The following statement from the Mitchell Park Sports and Community Club was provided to Nick Xenophon this morning, which is reproduced in full:

 

Statement of Mitchell Park Sports and Community Club – 17/11/07

The election promises of the major parties to commit $1 million to Marion Sports and Community Club are nothing short of a disgrace.

A club with 40 pokie machines and other gambling facilities should not qualify for such funding for the Liberal’s Andrew Southcott and ALP candidate Nicole Cornes to use this promise as bait for votes shows that both are seriously out of touch with true community values.

Other Community clubs in the district which have not installed gaming machines and promote family values, community spirit and club morale should feel ripped off.

Mitchell Park Sports and Community Club is located in the suburban heartland of the electorate of Boothby.  The club supports at least 6 different sports and social clubs with hundreds of affiliated members.

MPSCC President Keith Moorman said:

“This club was built with community support, it survives because of the volunteer efforts it receives – not by stripping money from families through pokies.”

 

“What Marion Sports and Community Club would bank each week from pokie revenue, we are at a stretch to make in a year with a load of hard work from committed people.”

 

“Yet, we don’t get a look in when it comes to such funding promises.  In twenty years, we’ve received little more than $10,000 in grants, from state and local governments only.”

 

“Where is the federal money for legitimate community clubs?  Mitchell Park Sports and Community Club is certainly not the only club in this electorate that should feel ripped off.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
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