Should facilities with pokies receive community grants? Glenelg councillors aren’t sure

A proposed rule that would stop organisations with poker machine revenue from receiving Glenelg Shire grants has been sent back for community consultation after councillors split 4-3 over the divisive measure.

What happened: Glenelg council had been set to adopt a revised Community Funding and Support Policy on Tuesday, aiming to clarify eligibility and strengthen provisions around grant allocation.

• The existing policy, adopted in July 2024, already included a clause making organisations with gaming machine revenue ineligible, but the revisions drew fresh scrutiny.

• Councillor Mike Noske moved to delay the adoption, arguing the next round of grants should proceed under existing rules while the revised policy undergoes public consultation.

Public perception questioned: Noske asked whether the gaming machine revenue rule had been enforced before June 2024, noting that a past grant application from the RSL Bowling Club was approved even though the club has gaming machines. 

• “It would appear that organisations that clearly had gaming machine revenues were eligible for funding prior to June of 2024,” said Noske. 

Noske also noted the council’s community satisfaction rating stood at 43 percent against a 58 percent target, arguing that adopting a revised policy so soon could undermine public confidence.

• “I think that adopting a revised policy, with what may seem to be a couple of quite controversial clauses in it, just 18 months later, isn't going to help the perception amongst our residents of council's consultation and engagement policies,” he said.

Real harm caused: Councillor Robyn McDonald spoke in favour of the gaming exclusion, citing research showing electronic gaming machines cause significant harm.

• “Current research actually shows that EGMs… do cause the greatest harm across communities,” she said. “Our statistics for loss in our shire was, I think, the greatest in the last 12 months. Sporting associations are all withdrawing from having gaming machines because of the harm that it's doing. 

• “There were stories cited of 14-year-old children running out from the subs bench comparing the bets that they'd put on in terms of something that was happening in an AFL game in Melbourne.”

Councillor McDonald said other regional and city councils had policies against supporting community funding of businesses that brought in gaming revenue. 

Policy delayed: Mayor Karen Stephens opposed the amended motion, urging councillors to adopt the original policy without further consultation, but the motion to delay the policy and engage the community passed 4-3. 

Councillors Carr, Pepper, Jowett and Noske voted in favour, while Stephens, McDonald and Angelino voted against.

The revised policy will now be publicly consulted before returning to council, leaving the debate over gambling revenue and community grants open while maintaining continuity for upcoming funding rounds.