Fed: Commonwealth claims of money grabbing offensive: Hamill

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2000
Fed: Commonwealth claims of money grabbing offensive: Hamill

CANBERRA, April 20 AAP - The federal government's accusation that the states were putting
money before responsibility in opposing an internet gambling ban was offensive, Queensland
Treasurer David Hamill said today.

The federal government has vowed to pursue its bid for a 12-month moratorium on new
forms of interactive gambling despite opposition from a majority of states to its plan.

The government secured the support of only New South Wales and Western Australia at
the ministerial gaming ministers meeting yesterday at Parliament House.

Mr Hamill said the states and the territories had offered cooperation with the federal
government in addressing problem gambling.

"The commonwealth, however, came to the meeting with one item in its agenda and that
was a headline-grabbing bid to try and talk about moratoriums and bans," he told the Nine
Network.

Mr Hamill said even NSW and WA had only supported a moratorium provided it did not
interfere with the interactive gambling already going on.

"It was hardly a blanket endorsement of the Commonwealth's position," he said.

It was better to regulate, rather than attempt a futile ban which would only drive
internet gambling operators offshore, Mr Hamill said.

"The Commonwealth is coming from a position of considerable ignorance in relation to
how this works," he said.

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KEYWORD: GAMBLING HAMILL

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