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Mark 'The King' at ACE Awards - Club Managers' Association ...
Vol 99, No 222
                                                                        April 2011
                          www.cmaa.asn.au

Mark ‘The King’
at ACE Awards
The Club Entertainment Industry
acknowledged the talent, work and
contribution of Mark Loyd with the 2010
ACE Lifetime Achievement Award at the
Annual Awards Dinner last month.
➣ Special Report: Pages 19-22

                 Liz Taylor                                 Rhonda Burchmore

                                            Tom Burlinson

  ➣ What’s Happening in the Zones this month: Pages 25-33
Mark 'The King' at ACE Awards - Club Managers' Association ...
Mark 'The King' at ACE Awards - Club Managers' Association ...
1

                                                                                   CLUB MANAGERS’
                                                                                   ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA
Publisher CMAA                                                                     OFFICE BEARERS
Contributors:
                                                                                   CMAA FEDERAL EXECUTIVE                   ADMINISTRATION
Henri Lach, Katie Cincotta.
                                                                                   President
Advertising Manager:                                                               WILLIAM CLEGG, ACCM
Judy Rayner                                                                        Randwick Labor Club
                                                        Bill Clegg ACCM
Advertising Bookings:                                   Federal President          Federal Secretary
(02) 9332 2363 & 9360 6177                                                         ALLAN PETER, ACCM
Fax (02) 9361 5142
                                                                                   Federal Vice President
rayner@bigpond.net.au                                                              DAVID O’NEIL, ACCM
Printing and Design:                                                               Castle Hill RSL Club
Daily Press Group                                                                  Executive Member
Phone: (02) 9558 8419                                                                                                       Executive Officer
                                                                                   DEBORAH FEENING, ACCM                    Terry Condon, CCM
Correspondence:                                                                    Executive Member
The Editor, c/-                                                                    MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN, ACCM
Club Managers’ Association Australia                                               Milton Ulladulla Bowling Club
Level 2, 1 Showground Road
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
Locked Bag 4317                                                                    FEDERAL COUNCILLORS
                                                        Allan Peter ACCM
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127                            Federal Secretary          Division A – City/Eastern Suburbs
Phone (02) 9746 4199                                                               Zone and Manly/Northern Suburbs
Fax (02) 9746 5199                                                                 Zone
                                                                                   Mario Machado, ACCM
Please address all business                                                        Chief Executive Officer                  Assistant Executive Officer
correspondence to the                                                              Hornsby RSL Club                         Ralph Kober, B.Ed.
Federal Secretary                                                                  Division B - St George/Cronulla          Senior Industrial Relations Advocate
The Club Managers’ Association Australia is                                        Sutherland Zone and Inner West           Peter Cooper
registered as an industrial organisation of                                        Zone                                     Training Course Administrators
employees in the terms of the Federal                                              Ian Todd, ACCM                           Brad Jones, CCM
Workplace Relations Act, 1996, and The                                             General Manager
                                                                                                                            Estelle McDonald-Birch
Club Managers’ Association is a registered                                         Kingsgrove RSL Club
                                                                                                                            Accounts Officer
Trade Union in the terms of the New                                                Division C – Nepean Zone                 Priscilla San Luis
South Wales Industrial Relations Act 1996.                                         Michael Wiezel
The CMAA is affiliated with the Australian                                                                                  Administration Officer
                                                        David O’Neil ACCM          Secretary Manager
Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the                                                                                      Evonne Bosnich
                                                        Federal Vice President     St Marys RSL Club
CMA is affiliated to the NSW State Branch                                                                                   Receptionist
of the ACTU, The Labor Council of NSW.                                             Division D – Hunter Zone, Central        Carol Quirke
                                                                                   Coast Zone and Great Lakes Zone
                                                                                                                            Administration Assistant
Registered Office                                                                  Stephen Byfield, ACCM
                                                                                                                            Tegan Cain
Level 2, 1 Showground Road                                                         Chief Executive Officer
                                                                                   Diggers @ The Entrance                   Qld Membership Liaison Officer
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
                                                                                                                            Justin McGurgan
Phone (02) 9746 4199                                                               Division E – Far North Coast Zone,
Fax (02) 9746 5199                                                                 North West State Zone, Mid State         Life Members
Locked Bag 4317                                                                    Zone and Mid North Coast Zone            Harry Walker (decd.)
                                                                                   Phillip Mallon, ACCM                     Norm Robinson (decd.)
Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
                                                                                   General Manager                          Arthur Justice (decd.)
Email - cmaa@cmaa.asn.au
                                                                                   Casino RSM Club                          Len Ewart (decd.)
Office Hours                                                                                                                Lou O’Neill (decd.)
                                                                                   Division F – Illawarra Shoalhaven        Peter Cameron (decd.)
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm                                                        Zone and Far South Coast Zone
                                                        Deborah Feening ACCM                                                Bob Harbutt (decd.)
Seven-day telephone answering service in                                           David Hiscox
                                                        Federal Executive Member                                            Keith Nolan (decd.)
operation.                                                                         General Manager                          Fred Chubb, CCM (decd.)
“Club Management in Australia” is published monthly                                Dapto Leagues Club                       Alan McDougall, MBE (decd.)
by the Club Managers’ Association Australia. All                                                                            John Milne (decd.)
material is copyright and cannot be reproduced                                     Division G – Gold Coast Zone, Brisbane
without the explicit permission of the Publisher or                                Zone, Ipswich Darling Downs Zone,        Les Evennett
Editor. Editorial contributions relating to the club                               Sunshine Coast Zone, and the Central     George Elliot, CCM
industry are welcome. Submitted copy should be typed                               and Northern Queensland Zone             Peter Strachan, ACCM
and double spaced. We don’t accept any responsibility                                                                       Hans Sarlemyn, ACCM
for keeping and returning unsolicited material.                                    Steve Condren
Photographs submitted must be captioned. Those sent                                General Manager                          Jim Henry, OAM, CCM
without prior arrangement cannot be returned unless                                Southport Surf Life Saving Club          Terry Condon, CCM
accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope.                                                                          Lew Cooper
Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily                               Division H – Victoria Zone, Riverina     Barry Stevenson
those of the Club Managers’ Association Australia.                                 Murray Zone and the ACT Zone
Although we do exercise the utmost caution, we don’t
                                                                                                                            Greg Pickering, ACCM
accept responsibility for claims expressed in                                      Grant Duffy, ACCM                        John Allan, ACCM
advertisements appearing in our issues.                                            Secretary Manager                        Allan Peter, ACCM
Subscription rate is $60 a year.                        Michael O’Sullivan ACCM    Numurkah Golf & Bowls Club               Wayne Forrest, ACCM
ISSN 0045-7205                                          Federal Executive Member

      CMAA MEMBERS CONFIDENTIAL SUPPORT & COUNSELLING - 1300 464 262
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4     Industry Update                   April 2011 Magazine Contents

Workcover NSW                           PAGE   ADVERTISER / Editorial
Mentor Program                          C1     Australian Club Entertainment 2010 Awards
WorkCover NSW is facilitating a free    C2     KONAMI
mentoring program where                 P1     CMAA ADMINISTRATION & IMPRINT
participating large club mentors will
provide advice and practical            P2     CMDA CAREER DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS
assistance to participating small       P3     CLUB PLUS SUPERANNUATION
clubs on how to improve workplace
                                        P4     CMA Magazine April Edition Contents
safety and comply with
occupational health and safety,         P5     IGT
workers compensation and injury         P6     PAYNTER DIXON CONSTRUCTIONS + April Edition Pointers
management legislation.
                                        P7     INDEPENDENT GAMING
Small clubs joining the program will
have the opportunity to gain            P8     Executive Perspective – David O’Neil
valuable insights to assist in          P9     ARUZE
improving business safety
                                        P 10   MERIDIAN CONSTRUCTION + Executive Officer’s Desk
performance, gain an understanding
of how to comply with legislation,      P 11   JAMES CLIFFORD CONSTRUCTION
strengthen their knowledge base         P 12   Peter Newell @ National Press Club 1
and enhance workplace safety
practices.                              P 13   JBN SOUND SOLUTIONS + Peter Newell @ National Press Club 2
For small clubs wanting to              P 14   Peter Newell @ National Press Club 3
participate as a “mentee”, they         P 15   CONSULATE FINANCE + Peter Newell @ National Press Club 4
must employ up to 20 employees
                                        P 16   Southern Exposure 1 - Victoria’s Gaming Minister
and be:
➢ available to attend at least six      P 17   THOMSONS LAWYERS - Southern Exposure 2
   face-to-face sessions over an        P 18   I SECURITY + Industry Issues 3
   eight-month program                  P 19   Australian Club Entertainment 2010 Awards 1
➢ willing to have the mentor visit      P 20   Australian Club Entertainment 2010 Awards 2
   the club at least twice during the
   program                              P 21   Australian Club Entertainment 2010 Awards 3
➢ genuinely interested in improving     P 22   Australian Club Entertainment 2010 Awards 4
   workplace safety, workers            P 23   CMAA 2011 NATIONAL BURSARY SPONSORS + CMDA Update
   compensation and injury
   management systems                   P 24   CMDA - April-May Training Calendar
Large clubs acting as mentors will      P 25   MITCHELL BRANDTMAN + ITZ - North West State Meeting
benefit by promoting networking         P 26   CMAA 2011 Diary - Zone Meetings & Industry Events
and visibility, developing
partnerships, strengthening the
                                        P 27   BOTTLECYCLER + ITZ - Far North Coast AGM
club’s knowledge base, enhancing        P 28   CMDA – CLUB SECRETARY MANAGER PROGRAM
leadership skills and influencing the   P 29   OTEN TAFE NSW + ITZ - Nepean AGM
supply chain to assist the Club
Industry improve its occupational       P 30   CMDA – SUPERVISOR BOOTCAMP
health and safety, workers              P 31   HARLEY RUSSELL DAY + ITZ - Riverina Murray AGM
compensation and injury                 P 32   2011 CMA MID YEAR CONFERENCE
management practices.
                                        P 33   ITZ - St George Cronulla Meeting
Mentors will work closely with their
allocated mentees to assist them        P 34   CMDA – FOOD SAFETY SUPERVISOR PROGRAM
with focusing on safety for their       P 35   Board of Management Studies + Zone Education Officers
business and build systems and
process that meet their business        P 36   SLATER & GORDON + Industry Update
needs.                                  P 37   Northern Exposure 1 - Les Nash at Gatton RSL Club
This is achieved by completing a        P 38   Market Forces 1
Mentoring Agreement and Action          P 39   RAYNER SALES & MARKETING + Market Forces 2
Plan at the start of the program.
                                        P 40   CMDA - Wedding & Events Management Summit 1
As places are limited for the next
round, contact Ian Girkin at            C3     CMDA - Wedding & Events Management Summit 2
WorkCover NSW - 13 10 50 or             C4     SHUFFLE MASTER AUSTRALASIA
E: mentorprogram@
workcover.nsw.gov.au for more
information.                            INSERT – BARRINGTONS
Mark 'The King' at ACE Awards - Club Managers' Association ...
Mark 'The King' at ACE Awards - Club Managers' Association ...
6     In Your April Edition

➢ Pages 12 -15                         ➢ Pages 16 & 17                          ➢ Page 37
March 23 was a watershed day for       Victoria’s new Gaming, Consumer          Gatton RSL Club General Manager
the Club Industry when the President   Affairs and Energy Minister MICHAEL      LES NASH is no stranger to natural
of Clubs Australia and Chairman of     O’BRIEN has wasted no time in            disasters. He’s been in the thick of
ClubsNSW, PETER NEWELL OAM,            declaring his hand on critical policy    many floods and cyclones during 25
addressed the National Press Club in   issues affecting the Club Industry. In   years with the Australian Army in
Canberra. It was Mr Newell’ second     his first interview with CMA Magazine    northern Australia, including Cyclone
Press Club speech and he detailed      correspondent KATIE CINCOTTA, Mr         Tracy in 1974. “I was with the
the threat that the Federal            O’Brien candidly states that the         emergency teams involved in cleanup
Government’s proposed gaming           Federal Government’s controversial       operations in Darwin,” Les recalls.
machines pre-commitment legislation    push for compulsory pre-commitment       HENRI LACH reports that none of
will have on the industry in           on gaming machines as a Big Brother      that prepared him for the enormity
Australia ...                          nanny state policy ...                   of the most recent events …
Mark 'The King' at ACE Awards - Club Managers' Association ...
Mark 'The King' at ACE Awards - Club Managers' Association ...
8     Executive Perspective                                                                       with DAVID O’NEIL, ACCM

                    Club Industry fights through a
                    devastating decade of political betrayal
                      During the past decade the Club          some clubs comes from gaming.
                      Industry has moved from one challenge    The added irony is that the initiatives shelved by many
                      to another, with only a brief pause      clubs were for alternate revenue strategies designed to
                      before being again blindsided by a       reduce their reliance on gaming and to build a sustainable
                      State or Federal Government. And this    future.
continues despite their constant reassurance of the
industry’s importance to the social fabric of our              I’ve heard it said many times that this proposed legislation
communities.                                                   is about responsible gambling reform. It is not. It’s about
                                                               abolishing poker machines and the destruction of an
Each time the respective government promises to                industry. If this was about gambling reform, there would be
communicate and work closely with industry to make             a comprehensive review on all forms of gambling - from
reforms based on evidence, and each time we become the         horse racing to exotic betting or the unregulated online
football for political gain or promotion.                      gambling sites.
After a decade of ongoing gaming reform, increased             Instead, every time we read a newspaper, watch television,
taxation and a smoking ban, we finally believed the            listen to radio or attend a sporting event, we are inundated
promises of consultation were becoming reality. We even        with online sports betting and agencies. BetFair has
enjoyed a sigh of relief before the 2010 Federal Election      become more Australian than Vegemite. These gambling
when the Opposition and Government pledged their support       options are being celebrated and promoted, rather than
– in writing - for the industry, with no gaming reforms on     questioned and investigated for their social consequences.
the agenda. Gaming wasn’t even on the agenda for any of
the minor parties - so we thought.                             As a non-gambler, I don’t have a problem with any of this
                                                               and I believe it’s an individual’s right to make an educated
Finally, the industry started to recover. For a moment clubs   choice. However, I do have a problem with the hypocrisy of
and boards started to regroup and show confidence to           social do-gooders in destroying an industry while supporting
strategically plan for the future. However, this confidence    and promoting another.
was shattered by a deal to form government. Prime
Minister Julia Gillard broke her first election promise,       I also have a problem with the associated artificial “class
agreeing to the random conditions of an unknown                distinction” involved in this hypocrisy. These are the people
Tasmanian independent. This act of betrayal destroyed the      who proudly proclaim: “Oh, I’m not a club person”. Yet
confidence and recovery of our industry.                       these same “society champions” hold their charity dinners,
                                                               political fundraising events and make a point of visiting
The introduction of compulsory gaming machine pre-             “their” local clubs pre-election to canvass votes. Their
commitment and other proposed reforms sent the industry        children play sport sponsored by the club, or on grounds
back into its shell. This decision - ill-conceived without     provided by the club, or read books at school provided by
evidence or proof to support its objectives - has driven yet   local clubs.
another nail into the coffin of many clubs and their
communities.                                                   Clubs are much more than poker machine “palaces”. They
                                                               are meeting places and community centres. They are a
There has been no social impact assessment, no proven          place of social interaction and friendship for many elderly
implementation strategy, no technological assessment and       and incapacitated people. In most towns they are the
no cost benefit analysis. There has been a lot of posturing,   community’s evacuation centre. Clubs are the hub of the
politics and betrayal.                                         community, especially in regional centres.
Without any legitimate study and/or research there is an       Reflecting on the past decade, the major challenges that
almost endless list of unanswered questions, scenarios and     have damaged our industry have been a consequence of
massive challenges before this reform can be implemented.      government legislation or political expediency. The added
Regardless of this, the damage is done.                        irony is these decisions have been made by the same
Clubs and boards function without certainty and, as a          political party that claims to represent the common man.
result, have internalised and reviewed or cancelled            Can these same “common men and women” be among the
strategic decisions that could have promised their recovery.   millions of club members around Australia?
These are decisions that would have produced employment        I only hope the decision-makers stop for a moment of
and community infrastructure programs ... generated            sanity and comprehend the real financial and social
opportunities and services for already struggling              implications of their decisions. The NSW-Queensland Club
communities.                                                   Industry is vastly different from other states. This ill-
Instead, these opportunities are now stopped and, in many      conceived sweeping reform can only bring disaster.
cases, the clubs have regressed to be better prepared for      Regardless if it is a club in NSW, Queensland, Victoria or a
the possible implementation of this tragically flawed          casino Tasmania, there will be drastic consequences from
gaming reform.                                                 these decisions.
This strategy seems pointless as its instigator, Member for    These consequences include bankruptcy, the destruction of
Denison Andrew Wilkie, himself estimates these restrictions    an industry, massive unemployment and a drastic change to
could result in a 40% reduction in revenue. I know of no       the social fabric and infrastructure of our communities.
business that could survive a 40% reduction in revenue -       ➢ DAVID O’NEIL, ACCM, is the
especially when the major percentage of total revenue in           CMAA Federal Vice President
10 The Executive Officer’s Desk                      with TERRY CONDON, CCM

                    Peter leads Club Industry’s argument in Canberra
                     The Australian Club Industry was out in   sense tells you he’s right, because problem gamblers are
                     force at the National Press Club          unlikely to set affordable limits and are likely to set high
                     Luncheon and Dinner to hear               limits or none at all. And with regard to the absence of
                     ClubsAustralia Chairman Peter Newell,     cost-benefit analysis, isn’t this an amazing way to make
                     OAM, debunk the myths and distortions     public policy on the run – announce a wide-ranging measure
                     being peddled by Tasmanian MP Andrew      impacting on millions of people, and only after that
Wilkie and his South Australian cohort, Senator Nick           perhaps look to see what it might cost.” Peter’s speech to
Xenophon. These men have been sharing the reins on the         the National Press Club is published on Pages 12 to 15.
anti-pokies bandwagon since Mr Wilkie controversially came
to power as the Member for Denison at the August 21            Many thanks to Nepean Zone President and Liverpool
Federal Election. Mr Wilkie was able to extract a              Catholic Club CEO John Turnbull for organising the Nepean
remarkable commitment from the Julia Gillard-led Labor         Zone’s “Farewell to TC” in conjunction with the Zone’s
Government to deal with vastly exaggerated claims about        March AGM at John’s impressive club. John left no stone
problem gambling relating to poker machines. I may be          unturned in organising the “Roast & Toast” panel of former
accused being biased in my opinion, but Peter Newell is one    CMAA President and CMAA Life member Jim Henry, OAM,
of the finest speakers that I have had the pleasure of         former ClubsNSW CEO, David Costello, CMAA Life Member
hearing and his skills have only become more impressive        and former Federal and State Secretary Hans Sarlemyn, and
during his time in the role with ClubsAustralia and as         former CMAA State and Federal Vice President and
Chairman of ClubsNSW. Peter finds an extra couple of           Association Life Member Greg Pickering. If I wasn’t already
lengths in his best form when he steps up to the big           in enough trouble, our Master of Ceremonies for the roast
challenges and the big stage. On March 23, he again            was “The Big Marn”, Darryl Brohman. Needless to say many
articulated the Club Industry’s position on the logic and      “tall yarns from the legendary past” were told, which I
legitimacy of the Gillard Government’s threatened              hope kept the group of over 200 entertained – and never
mandatory pre-commitment technology for all poker              leave the spectacular venue. It was great to see Rooty Hill
machines in venues around Australia.                           RSL Club’s former CEO and CMAA Hall of Fame member Phil
The address focused on the Club Industry’s opposition to       Rudder in the audience and enjoying the company and
mandatory pre-commitment, with Peter arguing that Mr           delicious luncheon. My special thanks to Nepean Zone
Wilkie’s $3 billion poker machine reforms are designed to      Secretary Antoinette Sultana for her efforts in making the
                                                               day so successful. The Nepean Zone AGM report and
deter recreational gamblers and would not stop problem
                                                               pictures are on Page 29.
gamblers from betting.
Peter accused Mr Wilkie and his followers of ignoring the      The CMAA was represented at the 84th World Conference
advice of some of Australia’s leading gambling experts and     on Club Management at Orlando, Florida by former Division
welfare groups who have concluded that mandatory pre-          1 Federal Councillor and Far North Coast Zone Secretary
commitment will not help problem gamblers stop betting.        Gordon Rhodes. Gordon filled the breach in February when
“The Australian Government has seen plenty of evidence         the Conference clashed with the CMAA’s AGM, Conference
only in the last couple of months that this is a flawed        and Hospitality Expo at Darling Harbour on February 28 and
proposal as far as helping problem gamblers is concerned,”     March 1. Gordon continued the CMAA’s proud record of
Peter said. “Australia’s leading academic on problem           being represented at this Conference for more that 30
gambling, Professor Alex Blaszczynski, advised a               years. Gordon’s Conference report will be published in the
Parliamentary Committee chaired by the Member for              May edition of CMA Magazine.
Denison himself that pre-commitment is unlikely to have a
significant impact on the majority of problem gamblers,        ➢ TERRY CONDON, CCM, is the CMAA’s Executive Officer,
and may even exacerbate problem gambling. Common                 a CMAA Life Member and former Club Manager
12 Industry Issues

ClubsAustralia boss takes industry’s fight
On Wednesday, March 23, ClubsAustralia President PETER NEWELL, OAM,                      party’s position leading into the election
returned to the National Press Club in Canberra to address the Club                      and, in good faith, we made this
                                                                                         undertaking available to our clubs and
Industry’s position on the Gillard Government’s proposed mandatory                       their members before the election.
pre-commitment legislation that means every gaming machine in                            On the hustings during the election
Australia will carry the technology. The legislation is the product of                   campaign, not one public policy
Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s deal with Tasmanian Independent MP                        announcement was made on this issue
Andrew Wilkie and it has massive implications for clubs …                                by Labor - or the Liberal-National
                                                                                         Coalition. Not one single recorded
Abraham Lincoln once said: “I am a firm     our view, this nanny state proposal          doorstop quote to the media that I can
believer in the people. If given the        should not happen; why, in reality, it       find. Not a squeak. You all know the
truth, they can be depended upon to         can’t happen; and therefore what should      election resulted in a hung Parliament,
meet any national crisis. The great         happen.                                      with the Greens and four independents
point is to bring them the real facts.”     First, a little background. Australia’s      deciding who would hold power. So
With that very quote in mind, I am          4,000 clubs cover a wide range of            things changed.
pleased to have the opportunity to          sporting, social, political and cultural     On September 2, without consultation
return to the National Press Club to        pursuits embracing bodies such as RSL        with the industry – or, I suspect, the vast
speak on an issue of critical importance    and Services clubs, football, bowling,       majority of her own colleagues - the
to Australia’s 4,000 clubs and all they     golf, workers, Labor and Catholic clubs.     Prime Minister announced she had made
represent. Their 10.5 million               Many have poker machines, with half of       a deal with the newly elected
memberships, their 90,000 direct            them in NSW where they have been             independent Member for Denison in
employees and the untold thousands          legal since 1956.                            Tasmania in return for his support in
employed downstream in associated           On 23 June last year, the Australian         helping her form a minority government.
industries, their 100,000 volunteers, and   Government released a Productivity           That deal provided for a full mandatory
the hundreds of communities who rely        Commission report said to be into            pre-commitment scheme for poker
on them. And let’s not forget the five      gambling in Australia, but which, in         machines that is uniform across all
million people who play poker machines      reality, concentrated largely on poker       states and territories and machines,
each year. In doing so, despite having      machines. The report recommended that        starting in 2012 and fully rolled out by
been accused by prohibitionists in recent   each state and territory should              2014. It also provided for a $250 daily
times of spreading lies and deception,      implement a jurisdictionally based full      withdrawal limit for ATMs in venues with
I’m here to tell you the truth.             pre-commitment system for gaming             poker machines - excluding casinos.
                                            machines by 2016, subject to initial         If Australia’s state and territory
This issue centres on a deal to keep the    development, trialling and compatible
current Government in power made by                                                      governments did not co-operate with the
                                            monitoring systems. It said the              introduction of this system, the Prime
the Prime Minister with a newly elected     Australian Government should enter into
Tasmanian independent who received                                                       Minister agreed with the Member for
                                            negotiations with a state or territory       Denison that she would seek to use
21.26% of the vote in his electorate last   government to sponsor a full-scale
August. That deal makes it compulsory                                                    Commonwealth powers to override
                                            regional trial or trials of a full pre-      them, and has been advised by the
for the five million Australians who wish   commitment regime, with trialling to
to exercise their legal right to play a                                                  Solicitor General that she does possess
                                            commence by 2013. Importantly, it said       those powers. If this was to happen,
poker machine each year, to possess         such a trial should substantiate that full
what we describe as “a licence to                                                        there is every likelihood that the
                                            pre-commitment has sufficient
gamble” - a card containing their                                                        Commonwealth would have to use
                                            advantages over partial pre-commitment
personal details which would be linked                                                   taxpayer dollars to compensate the
                                            to justify proceeding with its
to a national grid covering every single                                                 states and territories.
                                            implementation in all jurisdictions.
poker machine in every single venue                                                      So we come to the present day and the
                                            That same day, Federal Ministers
across Australia. This would allow every                                                 ClubsAustralia assertion why this should
                                            Macklin, Sherry and Conroy issued a
bet placed by a poker machine player to                                                  not happen. There are three overriding
                                            joint media release responding to the
be tracked by the Federal Government.       Productivity Commission report. They         reasons why this should not happen:
“Big Brother” in the extreme, you might     said it was necessary for the costs and      ➢ We, and many others, say it will do
think.                                      benefits of any measures to be                   little, if anything, to assist problem
With this intrusive device in place,        determined and that they would talk to           gamblers.
players would be able to set binding        the industry before anything happened.       ➢ Its implementation cost will drive
limits on their expenditure, and if that    The Government rejected a ridiculous             clubs to the wall, resulting in their
limit were to be reached, they would be     Productivity Commission                          closure and the loss of thousands of
compulsorily prevented from playing a       recommendation that online gambling              jobs.
poker machine probably for 24 hours at      should be liberalised.                       ➢ Longer term, the loss of revenue as
any one of 5,700 clubs and pubs across      Also that same day, ClubsAustralia issued        recreational gamblers walk away from
the country, as well as casinos. The deal   a statement to our member clubs and              our clubs in the face of this “licence
also provides for club and pub patrons to   the media supporting the Government              to gamble” scenario will be equally
be prevented from withdrawing more          response and saying it was a victory for         devastating.
than $250 a day of their own money          common sense, recognising that there is      The Australian Government has seen
from an Automatic Teller Machine.           no silver bullet to problem gambling.        plenty of evidence, only in the last
Inexplicably, this does not apply to        On August 5, the Labor Party national        couple of months, that this is a flawed
casinos.                                    campaign headquarters gave a written         proposal as far as helping problem
Today, I want to explain to you why, in     undertaking to ClubsAustralia on the         gamblers is concerned.
Industry Issues
                                                                                              Do you want to
back to National Press Club                                                                   create a friendly
                                                                                              and harmonious
 Australia’s leading academic on problem       admits that his “restrictions” – his word
 gambling, Professor Alex Blaszczynski,        – are a good step along the way to this         atmosphere at
 advised a Parliamentary Committee
 chaired by the Member for Denison that
                                               ultimate extremist and prohibitionist
                                               goal.                                             your club?
 pre-commitment is unlikely to have a          Even if you do remove all the machines,
 significant impact on the majority of         the message from Norway is quite clear –         Music too loud?
 problem gamblers, and may even                prohibition doesn’t work.
 exacerbate problem gambling. And                                                                    Forcing………
                                               As the President of ClubsAustralia I
 common sense tells you he’s right,            travel around the country and I talk to a           • Customers to leave
 because:                                      lot of people far and wide, including                 gaming machines
 ➢ Problem gamblers are unlikely to set        those I know well in my own home city
    affordable limits and are likely to set    and state. And while I’m the first to                    • Bar staff to
    high limits or none at all.                admit this is not a “scientific” approach,          misunderstand orders
 ➢ Problem gamblers are likely to take         the response I get when I talk to people
                                                                                               • Patrons feel uncomfortable
    part in other forms of gambling that       about a compulsory pre-commitment
    don’t have pre-commitment limits,          system where they will need a card              in restaurant & lounge areas
    such as the TAB or online.                 containing their personal details, linked        • Neighbours to complain
 ➢ There would be development of a             to some national system connected to
    black market for pre-commitment            every other machine and venue in the                 • License restrictions
                                               country - it is anathema to them.
    cards.
                                               These recreational gamblers won’t touch
                                                                                                 • TAB broadcast too loud
 ➢ Proper research needs to be done
    before spending vast amounts of            it with a barge pole. They will walk
    money on an unproven technology.           away, which of course is just what the         Well now you can!!!!
                                               prohibitionists want. When they walk,
 ➢ Overall, there has been no cost             club revenues will crash, and clubs            Join the list of venues
    benefit analysis of mandatory pre-         themselves will inevitably follow. The         who have converted to
    commitment.                                proponent of this deal has said himself
 And with regard to the absence of cost-
                                                                                              the Jbn Sound Ceiling
                                               the revenue impact would be up to 40%.
 benefit analysis, isn’t this an amazing       He’s right. There has been research in                   Fairfield RSL
 way to make public policy on the run –        Nova Scotia and South Australia that                      Mountie’s
 announce a wide-ranging measure               supports this. And we also know our
 impacting on millions of people, and          punters.                                             Campbelltown RSL
 only after that perhaps look to see what      But let’s just suppose the downturn is               Burswood Casino
 it might cost.                                30%; that’s bad enough. A KPMG study                  Lasseter’s Casino
 Reinforcing the ClubsAustralia stance,        shows that in NSW alone a 30% revenue
 there is only one jurisdiction in the world   downturn for clubs would result in the
                                                                                                    Moorebank Sports
 that has mandatory pre-commitment and         loss of more than 11,500 jobs, a loss of            Chinchilla RSL Club’s
 that’s Norway, until recently often           $820 million from the NSW economy, and               Boracay Regency
 quoted by the anti-gambling lobby as          force the closure of clubs. Extrapolated
 evidence supporting mandatory pre-            nationally, with pubs and casinos
                                                                                                      Sky City Casino
 commitment. There are more poker              included, the damaging impact would                  The Pastoral Hotel
 machines in Crown Casino than currently       reverberate across the whole economy.              Brothers Leagues Club
 in Norway and the Norwegian                   This out-of-left-field deal which
 Government owns them all. In 2007 it          blindsided the industry has left
                                                                                                        Chalk Hotel
 decided to withdraw every poker               thousands of club and pub employees                 Gilligan’s – Outdoor
 machine for a year, with the aim of           anxious and concerned for their future.              Kirra Sports Club
 returning machines with quite modest          Economic purists may pontificate from              Stamford Grand Hotel
 compulsory daily, and monthly pre-            on-high that lost jobs will be picked up
 commitment limits set by the                  and replicated elsewhere in the                            Northies
 Government, not by the individual             economy. Try telling that to a young                  Joondalup Resort
 player. Guess what happened in that year      mother pulling a beer in Gilgandra, a               Yaralla Sports Club
 when there was not a poker machine in         university student clearing tables in
 sight? Problem gambling in Norway did         Ballarat, a man on the door in Ipswich. A
 not decrease one iota as players simply       young bloke who works at my club in
 migrated to other forms of gambling,          Wollongong asked me the other night
 particularly the internet. So, if you take    where this was all heading as he has a
 anything out of Norway, take that.            small child, his wife is expecting another,
 At a round-table discussion in Canberra       and he fears for his job. I told him that if
 before the final Productivity Commission      necessary we were committed to going
 report was released, a Commissioner           all the way in one hell of a fight, but I
 made it clear in response to a question       could give him no guarantees. He said to
 that they set out to “inconvenience”          me: “Mate, if this happens I’ll never
 those who play poker machines.                vote for those people again.”
 The Member for Denison is on the record       Added to all of this, and notwithstanding
 as saying he’d like to see poker
 machines disappear altogether. But he         Continued page 14
14 Industry Issues
From p13                                     capacity to accommodate a universal          tightening regulation of the internet and
                                             Australia-wide mandatory pre-                a ban on betting on credit.
the Prime Minister’s legal advice,           commitment regime, a quarter of them         On that occasion the anti-gambling lobby
Australia’s states and territories have      may be able to have a suitable software      could hardly wait for me to conclude
enormous concerns about mandatory            update. One quarter would need a             speaking before running to the media
pre-commitment and ATM limits on what        hardware and a software upgrade, and         and describing what I had put forward as
people can withdraw of their own             half the total number of machines -          a “joke”. But that’s what we expect
money. The current NSW Labor                 about 99,000, would need to be               from prohibitionists. We have not been
Government believes it is absurd to try      replaced at a total cost of around $3        discouraged by that and continue on. We
and introduce this without a cost-benefit    billion. There would need to be a            are driving trials of voluntary pre-
analysis or any sort of trial. The NSW       national network linking all states and      commitment, and investing heavily in a
Liberal-National Coalition will not          territories and a database capable of        multi-venue self-exclusion scheme. The
support mandatory pre-commitment if it       tracking every player’s activity.            unfortunate consequences of this
comes to power, but says it will favour a    Some in the anti-gambling lobby propose      obsession with mandatory pre-
system that is voluntary for the player,     the database be managed by the               commitment is that such other measures
venue-based and affordable.                  Australian Taxation Office or Centrelink.    that would further assist problem
The Victorian Government says it will        The technical experts say no solution        gamblers are not receiving the attention
refuse to have its state’s intended harm     would be cheap, easy nor quick due to        and support they deserve.
minimisation measures overridden by the      the enormous complexity involved.            Let me make it clear with regard to this
Commonwealth. And that means                 As the biggest gaming machine                specific matter I am addressing today,
voluntary pre-commitment, not                manufacturer in the world has noted:         ClubsAustralia is not against pre-
mandatory. South Australia is on the         “The complexity and the permutations         commitment as such. We would support
record against mandatory pre-                of this development work and its             a system that is voluntary for the player
commitment. So the Commonwealth has          deployment is extraordinary and would        to use, is venue-based and is affordable.
a fight not only with industry, but with     take an extended period to complete,         We have offered to proceed down this
states and territories as well. And all of   recognising that the market itself has       path with government. Indeed, some
this is happening at a time when states      evolved to its present state of              clubs already are offering their members
and territories across the country have      complexity over an extended period.”         the choice of setting a limit voluntarily
been reporting year-on-year a marked         In the case of NSW, of course, this          if they feel it will help them.
decline in the prevalence of problem         period extends back more than half a
gambling.                                                                                 We will not agree to a compulsory
                                             century.                                     system that is personally intrusive,
The anti-gambling lobby claims the           To give you an example of the
states and territories and the industry                                                   deliberately designed to
                                             comparative complexity, this “licence to     “inconvenience” players, and which will
give only token attention to the issue of    gamble” system would be twice as big as
problem gambling. This is not true. In                                                    be a turn-off to most ordinary, everyday
                                             Telstra’s broadband system. So we’re         Australians who wish to spend some of
NSW, which hosts half the poker              talking about a big, complex animal here
machines in the country, problem                                                          their recreational and entertainment
                                             that I am sure those who made this           time playing poker machines.
gambling rates halved from 0.8% of the       political deal do not understand. Indeed,
adult population in 2006 to 0.4% in 2008.    even the Member for Denison remarked         And in taking this stance, we also ask:
Calls to G-Line, the Government’s well-      during one of his committee hearings         What further intrusions can Australians
promoted telephone help line for             that there’s a vast difference between       expect? What’s next?
gamblers, have halved in the past            political deals and technical reality.       The Australian Government should deal
decade. The Queensland Government            Technical challenges aside, we’re also       meaningfully with industry and not
has conducted four surveys, each of          talking about a cost to clubs and the        simply shove a politically expedient
some 30,000 respondents over seven           industry of billions of dollars - all        done deal in our faces. In other words, it
years from 2001, and found a consistent      supposed to be expended in a                 should stick to its pre-election promise.
decline from 0.83% to 0.37%.                 compressed timeframe expiring in 2014.       The Prime Minister has until around May
So that’s why it shouldn’t happen.           That is simply not possible - a 2014         next year to introduce legislation into
Why can’t it happen?                         deadline beginning next year is not          Parliament on this issue. Should she
I am sure that when they reached this        technically or financially possible. Clubs   elect to do so, the 148 MPs sitting in the
agreement, neither the Prime Minister        and pubs would go bust in the process.       House of Representatives will have a
nor the Member for Denison had the first     And all just to keep one MP onside - an      clear choice. They will need to decide
idea of what was involved, of the size       MP who received fewer votes than many        whether to vote for, or against, a
and complexity of the animal they had        clubs have members.                          compulsory system that is disastrously
grabbed by the tail.                         So, what should happen?                      expensive, personally intrusive,
Let me give you a few basic statistics.      ClubsAustralia has always been in favour     deliberately designed to
There are around 198,000 poker               of targeted, sensible, effective and         “inconvenience” players, and which will
machines in 5,700 venues spread across       affordable measures to further reduce        be a turn-off to most ordinary, everyday
Australia. There are a dozen different       problem gambling. On October 22, 2008,       Australians who wish to spend some of
manufacturers and these machines             I stood on this same podium and on           their recreational and entertainment
operate on eight different state or          behalf of ClubsAustralia presented a six-    time playing poker machines, while
territory-approved systems which do not      point plan to further help reduce the        doing nothing to assist problem
“talk” to each other. The best estimates     incidence of problem gambling. It            gamblers. Millions will have an interest
of the time it would take to develop and     included suggestions covering family         in the public position of these MPs.
integrate the technology and roll it out     interventions, education, greater            And, while contemplating their vote,
across Australia is 14 years. The            empowerment of counsellors and               they should acknowledge the real
Australian Government has received           improved counselling services, proper        “elephant in the room”. That woolly
expert advice that to equip all the          research and ensuring that measures are      mammoth of course is the internet and
machines with the technological              not experimental, venue staff training,      its lure to vulnerable people who sit at
15
home, often alone with no social            Government and the Member for Denison       Australians will feel the same way, let
inclusion, and have the choice of 2,000     want to demonise clubs and pubs who do      alone the prospect of having government
sites on which they can gamble on           not offer gambling on credit… whose         breathing more heavily down our necks.
credit, many with money they do not         venue ATMs cannot dispense cash on          Perhaps those who would sit in
have.                                       credit … who cannot offer such              judgement of us at a Federal level
According to Merrill Lynch, Australians     inducements … and who subscribe to          would do well to heed the words of
spent $840 million on online casinos and    world’s best-practice harm-minimisation     Queensland Premier Anna Bligh after her
poker in 2008, with the bulk of this        measures.                                   state’s horrific floods this year. Referring
spent on online slots and table games.      So, for the various reasons I have          to the devastated Goodna Leagues Club,
This burgeoning industry is powering on -   outlined – why this deal should not be      between Ipswich and Brisbane, and
with no taxes being returned to             enforced, why it cannot be enforced,        saying it should be the first place in the
Government, very few jobs, and no           and what should occur, I can confirm        state to be rebuilt under the Sunrise
regulation.                                 that ClubsAustralia and the Australian      program’s Operation Bounceback, she
If you’d like some examples, I invite you   Hotels Association, representing clubs      said: “This club is the absolute heart of
to Google “online gambling”. You’ll         and pubs across the nation, will            the community. It is the one place they
discover sites such as “online              undertake a public campaign to raise        have where their children and their
pokies.com.au” and                          awareness of this issue and all that it     community members play football. It is
“allslotscasino.com.au”. You’ll be able     represents. Our campaign will inform our    the only place they can go and have
to read that there are “proven              millions of members and patrons, our        community meetings, where they have
strategies” that ensure you’ll win 99% of   hundreds of thousands of employees, the     community events, 21st birthdays, those
the time you play the cyber pokies …        five million people who play the pokies     sorts of things. It really is the
advising that the best way to win on the    each year, our 100,000 volunteers, the      community centre of this suburb.”
pokies is to gamble online …                many sports and charities we support        So the Queensland floods may have done
inducements involving “free dollars” and    every day of the week, and the people       their worst, but they will not destroy
300% deposit bonuses, and the like …        of Australia generally.                     Goodna Leagues Club. Only the Member
claims that site providers have “inside     We will also continue impressing upon       for Denison at the other end of the
information” on how poker machines          legislators just what this ill-conceived,   country, with a gun to the head of the
work. You will also discover an online      untested, uncosted, un-Australian deal      Australian Government, can do that.
chat window with a live operator on the     means. I, for one, am not prepared to       Today, I am declaring that for the
other end offering bonuses and assuring     see our magnificent Club Industry           reasons outlined, clubs and pubs oppose
you that playing online slots will “boost   destroyed on an altar of political          mandatory pre-commitment, as well as
your bankroll”.                             expediency - and I have no doubt an         government-imposed restrictions on how
And this all going on while the             enormous number of my fellow                Australians can access their own money.
16 Southern Exposure

Victoria’s new Gaming Minister draws state
Victoria’s new Gaming, Consumer Affairs and Energy Minister                           customers should have the right to
MICHAEL O’BRIEN has wasted no time in declaring his hand on                           choose whether or not to use the pre-
                                                                                      commitment technology.
critical policy issues affecting the Club Industry and in his first
interview with CMA Magazine correspondent KATIE CINCOTTA, Mr                          “Our aim is to offer support to people
                                                                                      who seek assistance to control their
O’Brien candidly states that the Federal Government’s controversial                   gambling, without unduly interfering
push for compulsory pre-commitment on gaming machines as a Big                        with the rights of individuals who may
Brother nanny state policy. While he supports pre-commitment as a                     not wish to provide personal
problem gambling strategy, Mr O’Brien insists the spending limits                     information in order to play a gaming
should be optional ...                                                                machine,” he told CMA Magazine.
In November 2010, Victoria elected its    appointed the new Minister for              With the Federal Government making
first Liberal Government in 11 years,     Gaming, Consumer Affairs and Energy,        a legal push for mandatory pre-
                     declaring former     after serving as the Shadow Minister        commitment, threatening to use its
                       architect and      for Gaming since 2006.                      constitutional powers to legislate on
                         daily                                                        electronic gaming machines across the
                                          As an experienced advocate, the             nation, the once self-employed
                          swimmer Ted     young Minister from blue-ribbon
                          Baillieu the                                                barrister in trade practices and
                                          Malvern has wasted no time in               commercial law is using his legal
                           new Premier.   declaring his hand on critical policy       mettle to push back.
                           Michael        issues affecting the Club Industry,
                          O’Brien, a      including the controversial push for        “The regulation of gambling always has
                         former           compulsory pre-commitment.                  been – and should remain – a matter
                       barrister with                                                 for the states,” Mr O’Brien said.
                                          Mr O’Brien has described mandatory
                        two young         pre-commitment on pokies as a “Big          “It would be inappropriate for the
                             children,    Brother nanny state policy”.                Federal Government to seek to
                                    was   While he supports pre-commitment as         prevent the Victorian Government
                                          a measure to address problem                from delivering our election
                                            gambling, Mr O’Brien insists the          commitments on pre-commitment.
                                             spending limits should be optional.      “We will seek advice on any attempt
                                              “The Victorian Government’s             by the Federal Government to do so.”
                                               position – clearly set out in our      The Minister told ABC News that the
                                               election policy – is that individual   Gillard Government was making

                                               Old guard playing ‘hard ball’ with clubs
                                                As Victoria’s gaming duopoly          forward,” Mr O’Brien says.
                                                ready themselves to step aside,       “We are focused on the impact on
                                                 how will the Government help         the industry as it gets ready for
                                                 manage the transition and            2012.”
                                                  protect clubs from bullying by
                                                  Tattersalls and Tabcorp?            In the meantime, club managers such
                                                                                      as Rick Scott, who heads up City
                                                  TGS (Tabcorp Gaming Solutions)      Memorial Bowls Club in Warrnambool,
                                                  has twice been investigated by      are charging ahead with their
                                                 the consumer watchdog for            strategy for owner-operated poker
                                               threatening to take away               machines.
                                             machines if clubs didn't sign up to
                                           six-year deals.                            “We have gone with SGS [Specialised
                                                                                      Gaming Services] headed by Scott
                                           Club managers under Tatts say the          Meyers who set up Tatts Pokies years
                                           company is also playing “hard ball”        ago in Victoria and South Africa, plus
                                           and threatening to withdraw high-          business development and corporate
                                           performing machines as per its             strategy with numerous companies,”
                                           contract.                                  Mr Scott said.
                                           Victoria’s Gaming, Consumer Affairs        “We’ve also engaged Glen Crawford
                                           and Energy Minister Michael O’Brien        who has had senior product roles
                                           says the Government's policy is to         both as a gaming and venue operator
                                           work with industry to facilitate a         with Tatts and nationally with ALH.
                                           smooth transition.
                                                                                      “We are basically doing it ourselves
                                           “The Government is engaging with           with expert support and advice.
                                           stakeholders – the incumbent
                                           licensees and many venues - to             “This will give us control of our own
                                           provide greater certainty going            destiny.”
Southern Exposure 17

battlelines on pre-commitment                                                        “The previous Labor Government
                                                                                     increased liquor licence fees across
                                                                                     the board, hurting many community
 threats with “a dog’s breakfast of       withdraw cash, especially in an            and sporting clubs,” Mr O’Brien said.
 constitutional provisions” to honour     environment regarded as safer than a       “The Baillieu Government’s changes
 the deal with Tasmanian Independent      public ATM.                                recognise the important place of clubs
 MP Andrew Wilkie, which reeks of         “The Victorian Government is aware         in our community, and the lower risk
 political power play rather than best    of the concerns of clubs about the         they pose compared to some other
 policy outcomes.                         impact on their patrons, and will          types of licensed venues.”
 “State governments understand the        monitor and evaluate the impact of         With clubs now making serious plans
 industry and the delivery of services    the ban on ATMs,” he said.                 for the transition to owner-operated
 to treat problem gambling,” Mr           Where the incoming Liberal                 gaming in 2012, the Monitoring
 O’Brien said.                            Government did make swift change           Licence still hangs in the balance.
 “The Federal Government has              was in reducing liquor licensing fees to   In October 2010, four registrants were
 demonstrated through programs such       help ease the burden on businesses         invited to apply for the 15-year, single
 as the home insulation scheme that it    and community groups that pose a           independent monitoring licence -
 is not the best level of government to   lower risk in relation to alcohol-         Intralot, Tabcorp Monitoring,
 deliver ‘on-the-ground’ services.”       related violence.                          Maxgaming Vic and Monverco.
 As the Club Industry moves closer to     “For more than 10,000 small                The Minister says the Gambling
 the ban on ATMs in gaming venues, the    businesses and community clubs right       Licences Review within the
 Minister declares the scheme fixed       across Victoria it means liquor            Department of Justice is currently
 and non-negotiable.                      licensing fees will be more than           assessing those applications and the
 “The Victorian Government will           halved,” the Minister added.               VCGR is undertaking probity checks of
 continue to implement the legislative                                               the four contenders.
                                          The base renewal fee has been
 ban on ATMs in gaming venues, which      reduced for the following categories:      “As the project is still in what is
 takes effect on July 1, 2012,” he                                                   called a ‘competitive bidding’ phase,
 added. “This policy is aimed at          ➢ full club (without gaming machines)      it is not appropriate to make any
 reducing gambling-related harm.”         ➢ restricted club                          further comment,” he says.
 Mr O’Brien acknowledges club             ➢ vignerons                                ➢ web links:
 concerns that venues could lose          ➢ restaurant and cafe                      www.michaelobrien.com.au
 patrons because of the inability to      ➢ renewable limited and BYO permits.       http://twitter.com/michaelobrienmp
18 Industry Update

RSL Club entry laws change proposed
The NSW Liberal and Nationals parties      Returned and Services League would        Government would amend the
Coalition are proposing changes to         not need to sign in when visiting one     Registered Clubs Act to allow ex-
the Registered Clubs Act to allow ex-      of the state’s 270 RSL clubs. RSL         servicemen and women who are RSL
servicemen and women automatic             members will be allowed access to a       members entry to RSL and kindred
entry to RSL clubs throughout NSW.         club after producing a valid financial    clubs on producing a valid financial
This policy is similar to initiatives in   RSL membership card. Full service         membership card of the RSL.
other states that allow Returned and       members would still be required to        NSW RSL State President Don Rowe
Services League members to access          be a member of at least one licensed      and RSL and Services Clubs
RSL clubs with greater ease.               RSL club, most likely a club close to     Association Chairman Bryn Miller
In Victoria, members of RSL clubs          their home which they visit regularly,    welcomed the announcement which
when visiting other RSL clubs, receive     to ensure the concept of club             has been an Association long-term
reciprocal member benefits without         membership is retained.                   goal. "This is good news for our
needing to sign in. NSW RSL members        Then-NSW Opposition Leader Barry          members who will be able to more
also are granted access to licensed        O’Farrell and Shadow Minister for         easily access RSL and Services Clubs
RSL sub-branch clubs in Victoria. All      Hospitality, Tourism and Major Events     across NSW," Mr Rowe said. "I’m
55,000 RSL members in NSW must             George Souris announced the proposal      happy the NSW Liberals & Nationals
sign in at each RSL club they visit.       in the lead-up to the NSW Election on     took the time to listen to our
Under the proposed changes, full           March 26.                                 concerns and act positively to help
service members of the NSW                 Mr Souris said a NSW Liberal-Nationals    our members and their clubs.”

 GTA welcomes new Chairman, members
 The Gaming Technologies Association       stronger analysis and discipline to our   Aristocrat Technologies, Aruze Gaming
 has announced important governance        governance processes,” Mr Gladstone       Australia, Bally Technologies, IGT
 and membership changes in the lead-       said.                                     Australia, Konami Gaming Australia,
 up to the 2011 Australasian Gaming        One of Mr Gladstone’s first duties was    Shuffle Master Australasia and WMS
 Expo – G2E.                               to welcome two new members to the         Gaming Australia.
 The first involves the rotation of the    GTA - Bally Technologies and WMS          Independent Gaming is a GTA
 GTA’s independent Chairman Jamie          Gaming. “Both Bally and WMS are           Associate Member.
 Odell, the CEO and Managing Director      world leaders in the supply of games      Apart from WMS Gaming Australia, all
 of Aristocrat Leisure Limited. Mr         and gaming equipment for the              of the GTA’s full members and
 Odell oversaw significant change in       Hospitality Industry,” Mr Gladstone       Independent Gaming are CMDA Career
 the GTA, including a major strategic      added. “I’m sure their knowledge and      Development sponsors.
 and environmental review that             experience will sit comfortably with      Among its other activities, the GTA
 resulted in several important changes.    current Board members and add to          operates the Australasian Gaming
 Incoming Chairman Danny Gladstone,        the depth of our deliberations and        Expo, held in August each year at the
 the CEO of Ainsworth Game                 outcomes.”                                Sydney Convention and Exhibition
 Technology thanked Mr Odell for his       GTA CEO Ross Ferrar said the              Centre. The 2011 Expo – G2E – will be
 contribution to the GTA and the           Association’s full members now            presented on August 21 to 23 at
 gaming industry. “Jamie brought           include Ainsworth Game Technology,        Darling Harbour.
2010 ACE Awards 19

Lucky 13 smiles on ACE Awards
It was “lucky 13” for the Australian
Club Entertainment (ACE) Awards,
presented at the Canterbury
Hurlstone Park RSL Club last month.
Almost 400 guests packed the club’s
spectacularly presented auditorium
for the event that acknowledges the
talent and work of professionals who
entertainer in clubs across Australia.
The ACE Awards also was enjoying a
new place on the calendar with the
event moved from its traditional
November date to March and better
reflect the full year of performances.
The Club Managers’ Association
Australia (CMAA) also has joined in      Australia. Twin Towns, host               Industry and the entertainers who
the running of the ACE Awards, with      Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club,       make “clubland” such a special
CMAA Federal President Bill Clegg,       Petersham RSL Club, Panthers              family.
ACCM, taking on the role of Chairman     Penrith, Blacktown Workers Club,          With the sponsors returned to their
of the Event Management Team.            Bankstown Sports Club and St Marys        tables, Rhonda Burchmore and the
CMAA Executive Officer Terry Condon      Rugby League Club also feature            Fiona Gage Dancers lit up the stage
CCM, and major sponsor executive,        among the sponsors.MDA Career             with a memorable version of “Sweet
Doug May from Lion Nathan (Tooheys)      Development sponsor companies Lion        Georgia Brown” before Monica
also joined the Awards management        Nathan, Coca-Cola Amatil and              Trapaga moved on with the awards.
group.                                   InfoGenesis supported awards
                                                                                   Paul Martell, who later collected the
Twenty-three companies sponsored         categories along with The Robin Hunt
                                                                                   “Best Comedy Act” award, then had
the awards categories with the CMAA      Organisation, Boden and Creative
                                                                                   the honour of announcing the
and Lion Nathan combining to sponsor     Gifts.
                                                                                   “Lifetime Achievement Award” to his
the main award – “Outstanding Club       CMDA Career Development sponsor           life-long friend, Mark Loyd. Award
Performer of the Year”. Full list of     companies Lion Nathan, Coca-Cola          sponsor ClubsNSW Chairman, Peter
awards - Page 22.                        Amatil and InfoGenesis supported          Newell, OAM, then congratulated
With the awards focusing on live         awards categories.                        Mark on a lifetime of excellence on
entertainment in clubs, the              Appropriately, the theme of the 13th      stage as a rock and show star and
impressive list of sponsors includes     awards gala was, “RISE ... A New          behind the scenes as a world-
ClubsNSW, the RSL & Service Clubs        Beginning” with the opening act,          acclaimed producer and director. Full
Association and Leagues Clubs            “Brand New Day” presented by              report - Page 21.
                                         Ashleigh Toole, Hannah-May Buckley,       One of Australia’s most acclaimed
                                         The Enigma String Quartet, Jonas          performers on stage, screen and film,
                                         Jost, Chris Connolly, Darryl Talbot and
                                         the Fiona Gage Dancers.
                                                                                   Continued page 20
                                         Host Liz Taylor welcomed sponsors,
                                         guests and entertainers before guest
                                         presenter Susie Smither started
                                         announcing the awards, while Lesley
                                         Hancock, Greg Hayes and Peter Kaye
                                         put together an impressive political
                                         comedy piece.
                                         In his speech, ACE Awards Chairman
                                         Bill Clegg said the CMAA happily
                                         embraced the opportunity to support
                                         and help to grow the annual ACE
                                         Awards to show that club managers
                                         are with entertainers in what has
                                         been challenging recent times.
                                         Bill then called to the stage
                                         representatives of the 23
                                         organisations who sponsored the 2010
                                         ACE Awards, acknowledging their long
                                         and generous support for the Club
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