Greens deal opens way for delayed national poker machine reform

CONTROVERSIAL watered down national poker machine reforms are set to go ahead after the Greens finally agreed to back the Gillard government's scheme, which will also give the green light for a trial of mandatory precommitment in the ACT.

After months of negotiation, and several offers from the Greens to support the bill if $1 bets were accommodated, the reforms will eventually lead to every poker machine in Australia offer punters the option to preset how much they are willing to lose.

This morning Families Minister Jenny Macklin introduced the bill, which was referred to a special standing parliamentary committee on gambling for inquiry.

The committee will report back within weeks so the bill can be voted on in the final sitting week of the year later this month.

From the end of next year the bill will require precommitment on all new poker machines, with all machines to be part of a state-linked precommitment system by the end of 2016.

If the trial is conclusive — to be assessed by the Productivity Commission — mandatory precommitment can be activated on all machines with a "the flick of a switch."

The bill also sets a $250 daily withdrawal limit from ATMs in gaming venues (excluding casinos) from next May.

Long time anti-pokies campaign Nick Xenophon told ABC radio that the bill was "piss weak".

Greens gambling spokesman, and public health doctor, Richard Di Natale said the party agreed to back the bill in exchange for government funding of a national gambling research centre.

The centre will cost $1.5 million a year and Ms Macklin said it would begin work in July under the auspices of the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

"These pokies reforms are a long way short of what is needed to curb problem gambling but at least we've made some progress," Senator Di Natale said.

"For the first time we've got national legislation to tackle the scourge of problem gambling."

Senator Di Natale attacked the government for buckling under pressure as well as independent Andrew Wilkie who, he said, "blew" the opportunity for "real reform".

"He should have pushed for $1 bet limits from the start but he let the government steer him towards a policy that was a much harder sell and played right into the hands of the pokies industry," he said.

"For all his bluster about bringing down the government he went to water and we've been left to negotiate a better outcome."

Senator Di Natale said he would continue to support a $1 bet maximum limit on pokies.In January, Prime Minister Julia Gillard reneged on her deal with Mr Wilkie for a national scheme that would force all punters to preset how much they are willing to lose on the pokies.

Facing a multi-million dollar public campaign from the clubs and pokies industry, particularly in marginal NSW and Queensland seats, the government said it did not have support of the parliament to pass the reforms.

Despite Mr Wilkie being duped by the government he has "reluctantly" backed the reforms. Last night he said "sometimes compromise is necessary, and I have no doubt that history will record the limited reforms of this parliament as being the start of the clean-up of an industry that has grown fat on the misery of Australia's most vulnerable people".