Slipper standing aside gives hope for pokie reform, says Tim Costello
As the speaker of the federal parliament stood aside over the weekend amid allegations of sexual harassment and fraud, many commentators wondered if federal politics had hit a new low. But there was one group of people for whom the weekends’ events sparked a feeling of hope.
Who are those people? The anti-poker machine campaigners. Julia Gillard had ditched her deal with independent Andrew Wilkie to introduce restrictions on poker machines. However, the scandal has increased the likelihood that the government may, at some point, need the help of Andrew Wilkie, leading to hope among anti-pokie campaigners that poker machine reform might be back on the table.