FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PREMIER

DATE: Tuesday, June 20, 2000

PREMIER ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY SUPPORT FUND GUIDELINES

Taxes raised from hotel gaming machines would be redirected into communities hardest hit by gambling under new guidelines for the Community Support Fund announced today by the Premier, Mr Steve Bracks.

Mr Bracks said the changes followed a review of the Community Support Fund which confirmed it had been misused by the previous government.

“Under this Government, a proper share of funds will be returned to communities in need and to projects which deliver genuine community benefit,” Mr Bracks said.

Mr Bracks said the fund - which raised more than $100 million a year from hotel poker machine taxes - had been spent inappropriately by the former government on secret “pet projects” like sponsoring an America’s Cup yacht which sank off San Diego Harbour.

“A review of the Community Support Fund showed that communities with the highest concentration of gaming had received the smallest benefit from the fund, despite suffering the greatest social and economic disadvantage,” Mr Bracks said.

“This review confirms earlier criticisms by the Auditor-General’s office, which found that the previous government had left the community out of decision-making processes on how the fund was spent.”

Mr Bracks said the Government had appointed a Community Advisory Council to oversee the fund, with annual reporting responsibilities and strict new guidelines to ensure decisions are transparent and meet the needs of local communities.

The Council will be chaired by Mr Peter Laver – former head of BHP External Affairs – and will restore the fund’s focus on investing in community building, preventative programs and research.

Other members of the Council include:
· Ben Bodna (Convener, People Together Project, former Head of Community Services Victoria):
· Dianne Smith (Manager, Ballarat Tourism);
· Jim Stynes (ex-Melbourne footballer who works with disadvantaged young people);
· Dr. Ian McBean (Deputy Vice Chancellor, La Trobe University, Bendigo);
· Alistair McCrae (Moderator Elect, Uniting Church);
· Hannie Rayson (Playwright & Screen Writer);
· Jill Reichstein (the Reichstein Foundation); and
· George Lekakis (Ethnic Communities Council).

“The Community Support Fund will now be used for its original purpose – to repair the damage caused by gaming, promote responsible gaming and rebuild those communities most affected,” Mr Bracks said.

“In the past, funding was determined by the then Premier’s private office, and municipalities most afflicted by intensive gaming did not receive anything like their fair share.

“Initiatives aimed at social and economic renewal will now be generated at a community level in partnership with State and local government, business and philanthropic trusts.

“These changes are about tackling the underlying causes of problem gambling, and reinvesting in communities through new facilities and opportunities in areas such as recreation, education and employment.”

Mr Bracks said that under the previous government there had been an extraordinary lack of funding to the most disadvantaged areas in the state, even though they generated the largest proportion of the fund’s income.

Under changes to spending guidelines, an allocation of $100 million of annual CSF funding will be spent in three main areas:

· Promoting Responsible Gambling: Providing funds for research, community education, prevention and problem gambling services;
· Community Building: Projects that will promote social and economic development in areas most affected by gaming; and
· Broader Community Benefit: Sport, tourism, recreation and arts projects as well as state-wide programs such as Turning the Tide, local libraries and municipal pools.

“The ‘broader community benefit’ category will continue to fund projects like cultural and sports facilities as well as state programs such as Turning the Tide,” Mr Bracks said.

“This will ensure that all parts of the state continue to benefit from the Community Support Fund.

“Whether it’s country Victoria, the suburbs or metropolitan Melbourne, the Community Support Fund will now be used to promote social and economic development – particularly in those communities most affected by problem gambling.”