Western suburbs MP Huong Truong says the Greens would wipe out gaming machines statewide within 10 years.
Addressing Brimbank’s pokies “scourge”, Ms Truong said the party would discard the 20-year licensing deal legislated by the state government last year.
“Under our plan, we’ll phase out the licensing system and replace it with a final six-year licence,” Ms Truong said.
“There’s a lot of advocacy around [pokies] in Brimbank, given how heavily people are being impacted.
“It’s become quite normalised and has become a scourge affecting people who can afford it the least.”
Brimbank has topped the state for gambling losses for more than 10 consecutive years. In August, a record $12.8 million went into machines across Brimbank.
Brimbank council last week held a community forum as part of Victoria’s inaugural Gambling Harm Awareness Week.
The council hopes to use information gained from the forum to help it shape a review of its Electronic Gaming Machine policy.
The council is calling for a number of reforms, including running an “ambitious, evidence-based campaign”, in partnership with the Alliance for Gambling Reform, calling for $1 maximum bets, reduced venue opening hours and fewer poker machines.
