Yarra City Council Candidate Responses - Alliance for Gambling Reform

Yarra 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?
Stephen Jolly Langridge ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I have been a Councillor for 16 years. I have tried to increase rates on pokie venues and in fact would like these places banned. Pokies have destroyed the lives of some of my family members and some of the poorest people in my area.
Jeremy Cowen Langridge ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ To tackle gambling harm, I believe that all of the Alliance for Gambling Reform policies must be thoroughly considered and explored. I support the transition away from poker machine use at venues. 
Gabrielle de Vietri Langridge ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Anna, Libby, Shane, Mark and Carolyn's stories reveal the destructiveness of gambling industry. I recognise gambling as a serious addiction and a mental health condition with major health impacts on the person gambling and those around them. For that reason, I support all the policy and advocacy items in the Alliance for Gambling Reform guide, and pledge that if elected, I will act in my capacity as a Councillor to minimise and prevent gambling harm.

I commit to oppose new electronic gambling machines in Yarra, and advocate for a reduction in gambling machines and facilities across the municipality. I will actively work towards community-building activities and social initiatives to reduce gambling harm and gambling loss. I pledge not to hold council events or activities at gambling venues;  make council grants available to venues or organisations that operate EGMs; or allow future poker machines on Council land. I undertake to plan and support the transition away from gambling use by existing venues and to make organisations that operate electronic gaming machines ineligible for rates discounts. I will reinforce the public health narrative by referring to 'gambling harm', and avoid the phrases "problem gambling" and "responsible gambling".

Through planning and enforcement avenues, I will oppose poker machine applications that have a negative impact on the community, increase community awareness and engagement in the process and actively ensure compliance.

I pledge to advocate to state and federal governments for legislative reform to reduce and prevent gambling harm.

In terms of poker machine and gambling policy, I believe that Australia is out of step with the rest of the world, in permitting high intensity gaming machines and dedicated rooms for poker machines. I would like to see Australia develop stronger policies to reduce the harm caused by the sophisticated and manipulative programming embedded into electronic gaming machines, as well as to eliminate gambling advertising on television and associated with sport.
Michael Glynatsis Langridge ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support all policies. All  poker machines should be banned.
Peter Hude Langridge ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Although it is not a local government issue, I passionately support the removal of gambling advertising from broadcast sporting events. The comparison with tobacco advertising is too obvious to ignore. I also strongly support reductions in the number of poker machines in suburban venues, and much lower bet limits.
James Bae Langridge ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Raising public awareness on harmful and unfair impacts of gambling, and advocating for better changes.
Kate Drake Melba ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅ Pack not received, happy to review
Kate  Drake Melba ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅ Licence and Planning
Don Ash Melba ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I hope I have read the requirement accurately.
In terms of Council Social Policy I agree with and will support each and every one of the six bulleted points.
In terms of Planning and Enforcement I agree with and will support each and every one of the three bulleted points
In terms of  Advocacy I agree with and will support both bulleted points
In addition the nine advocacy asks to be made at State, Federal and Local Level respectively are all things which I can give full support to and that align with my view that gambling and gambling advertising need to be addressed.
Mitchell  Price  Melba ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Support gambling free public space 
Edward Crossland Melba ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support the policies outlined in the candidate factsheet. As the Greens endorsed candidate for Melba ward, I will never accept donations from vested interests like property developers, pokies or the fossil fuel industry. 

For further detail regarding the Yarra Greens position on pokies and numerous other matters, please find our policy statements via the following link https://greens.org.au/vic/lga/yarra
Em Sage Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I would harness council social policy, planning and enforcement measures and use advocacy to reduce venues and access to existing venues where poker machines are present in my community. 
Amber Anderson Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ The Council Social Policy resonates with me. I support Council not holding activities and events at gamblings venues as well as discarding phrases like "responsible gambling". I am not supportive of poker machines in the City of Yarra.  
Sasha Beitner Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ -
Amanda Stone Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support all of the policies in the Candidate Information Pack.
During my time as a councillor we have banned gambling on any council-owned buildings or land, not provided grants to any organisation involved in gambling and refused to participate in a major local government event held in a pokies venue. The event moved its location.
I have been proud to contribute to, and indeed launch, Yarra’s current Gambling Policy with its vision "To advocate for a fairer society where the gambling industry no longer causes social and economic harm in the community of Yarra" and its goals of
• Advocacy to reduce the number of poker machines in Yarra
• Support gambling-free community activities
• Improve community understanding about the risks posed to the community by the gambling industry
• Reform of the gambling industry
• Enable community participation in planning decisions concerning gambling activities
This is backed by our Planning Scheme requirement that the social and economic impact of any application involving gambling facilities be taken into account. I’m especially proud that in the 10 years since that clause was introduced, no new pokies have been introduced in Yarra. As a psychology teacher I am well aware of the insidious way in which poker machines are designed to captivate players and I strongly support policies to limit their introduction and reduce their prevalence. I will continue to advocate to the state and federal governments to implement policy accordingly and ensure our own local policy is implemented and strengthened.
Catherine Noone Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support a clear vision, with action and advocacy to reduce gambling harm in Yarra. 
Debra Thorpe Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I think all the policies refered to in the Candidate pack are very worthy of my supportTo not hold council events or activities at
gambling venues
To not make council grants available to
venues or organisations that operate EGMs
To not allow future poker machine on Council
land, and plan and support the transition
away from gambling use by existing venues
To make organisations that operate EGMs
ineligible for rates discounts. Discarding the phrases 'responsible
gambling' and 'problem gambling' from
council documents and discussions. These
phrases reinforce stigma by placing
responsibility for gambling harm and
addiction on the individual instead of on the
systems and structures in place that enable
gambling harm
Shift to the public health narrative of
referring to 'gambling harm'
Bridgid O'Brien Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support all of your policies and will add my great concern about gambling that exploits and harms animals.
Annabelle Wilson Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ My position is in line with the Yarra Gambling Policy. I am the Secretary of Hawthorn RSL, which is proudly anti-poker machines.
Sophie Wade Nicholls ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ I support all of the Advocacy Asks on page 5 of the September 2020 LGA information sheet.