> download Submission to the Gambling Venues Policy -Wellington City Council (PDF, 326KB)
The Salvation Army has persistently been engaged with the Government around gambling related harm. We continue to contend that one of the key focuses of the Gambling Act 2003 should be, as per section 3(b) of the Act, to prevent and minimise the harm caused by gambling. We submit that the Government and local Councils should make harm reduction a key focus of all gambling legislation and policy reforms they undertake.
The Salvation Army perspective on the Wellington City Council policy proposals:
Overall, The Salvation Army opposes the policy recommendations offered by Council. We consider the proposals are significantly lacking. Wellington City Council has the legislative power and authority to be much more proactive in relation to gambling harm reduction. This significant power granted to local Councils comes from the Gambling Act 2003 where local authorities are charged with and enabled to control the growth of gambling, and prevent and minimise the harm caused by gambling. The Salvation Army encourages the Council to be more proactive in reducing gambling harms by adopting the recommendations outlined in this report.