Ballarat City Council Candidate Responses - Alliance for Gambling Reform

Ballarat City Council Candidate Responses

Candidate Responses

 

First Name
Last Name
Ward
Do you support reducing the opening hours of poker machine venues?
Do you support local governments having greater say on the granting or refusing applications for poker machines in their respective communities?
Do you support the banning of all sports gambling ads?

Will you pledge to not take any donations from venues or organisations that derive income from gambling interests?
Will you commit to reducing gambling harm in your LGA?





 
Which of the policies
referred to in our Candidate Information Pack do you support?

What is your position on poker machine policy?
Belinda  Coates Central Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support all of the policies in the Candidate information pack, Council Social Policy, Planning and Enforcement, and Advocacy. As a Councillor at Ballarat Council for 8 years I've been a staunch advocate for strengthening our local policy in all of these areas. If I'm re-elected I'll continue to push hard for Ballarat Council to take a strong stance by strengthening existing policies in line with the Alliance policy asks and strengthening advocacy by joining with other Councils on these issues.
John Dooley Central Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I have not refered to Gambling harm in my Candidate pack.
I will advocate or elected to council.
Nick Shady Central Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support the policy developed by Alliance for Gambling Reform
Mark  Harris Central Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ They contribute only misery!
Ellen Burns North Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Poker machines are manipulative and damaging. I support the restriction of pokies opening hours, making sure they are shut for a minimum of 8 hours a day.
I also support advocacy for the end to gambling ads on TV.
Bryn Hills North Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support gambling free community sport, stopping poker machine proliferation, local council not providing support to the industry, publicising the negative effects on the community and gambling free public spaces. Current policy is doing much damage and requires change to address the serious consequences of gambling addiction.
Jay Morrison North Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support gambling free community sport and public spaces, as well as stopping the expansion of gambling venues and the whole of the council social policy as outlined. I would like to see pokies removed from venues in a staged way while also supporting people to kick their gambling habit so that they don't transfer their habit to online gambling avenues.
David Harris North Ward ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support the social policy and planning and enforcement policy.  I'm not entirely sure about the effectiveness at advocacy at State and Federal levels however I support the Local Government advocacy.
Please note I am an independent self funded candidate and do not accept donations.  I am generally opposed to pledge requests as I believe that cynical political candidates simply pledge support and are thereafter not scrutinised enough on their position.  However I this case as it is already consistent with my own principles I have agreed to the pledge.
Jim Rinaldi South ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ You fail to mention on line gambling
You fail to mention cashless credit card transactions.
Tracey Hargreaves South ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I think all of the suggested measures are sensible, particularly not holding council events or activities at gambling venues, not making council grants available to venues or organisations that operate EGMs and not allowing future poker machine on Council land, as well as no discounts on rates. My belief is that pokies harm the community and we should not be expanding to have more of them.