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February 17th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda The federal government is expected to introduce its watered-down pokies reform bills to parliament in coming weeks.
The National Gambling Reform Bill 2012 and the National Gambling Reform (Related Matters) Bill 2012 were released publicly on Friday after Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin briefed industry and anti-gambling campaigners and federal politicians.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard reneged on a deal with independent MP Andrew Wilkie to roll out mandatory pre-commitment technology by 2014.
Instead, she has proposed a watered-down reform package that includes a trial in the ACT of the mandatory pre-commitment measures, warnings on machines and a $250 daily withdrawal limit on ATMs.
Ms Macklin announced that the Productivity Commission would conduct an inquiry into the results of the proposed Canberra trial.
She said the government would be holding talks with industry groups, games manufacturers, state and territory governments and community groups from late February.
Australian Greens Senator Richard Di Natale told reporters in Melbourne on Friday that the passage of the federal government’s pokies legislation was not guaranteed.
Describing the current proposals as weak and a smoke screen for real action, Mr Di Natale said he was worried supporting the current legislation could stop meaningful reform for years.
“We’re certainly not guaranteeing our support,” he said.
But Senator Di Natale said the ATM reforms would be useless in Victoria since the state is soon to ban all ATMs in poker machine venues.
“My concern is that because the bill is so weak, and so timid, that in fact what it does is it stops anything happening for the following years because we have a trial under way,” he said.
“At the end of that process we end up with nothing and all we’ve done by supporting that bill is preventing action on poker machines in the intervening years.”
He said the Greens hope to amend the legislation to have $1 bets adopted, among other changes.
Meanwhile, Clubs ACT members gave their in-principle support for participation in a trial on Thursday.
The Labor government is facing opposition claims of a potential conflict of interest with the trial.
Canberra Labor Club Group, which is owned in part by the Labor Party, runs four clubs in Canberra with 488 poker machines and donates some $600,000 a year to ALP federal coffers.
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